Agnieszka Maria Jastrzębska
2D Materials in Water Applications Symposium
Dresden, Germany 11 & 12 Apr 2024
Title: On the photocatalytic activity of two-dimensional MBenes
First and last name: Agnieszka Maria Jastrzębska
Affiliation: Warsaw University of Technology
Short Biography:
Agnieszka Maria Jastrzębska Ph.D., Sc.D., Eng. is a Warsaw University of Technology Professor. She holds a master's degree in chemical technology, received her Ph.D. in 2012, and habilitation in 2018 in the field of materials science. Agnieszka's research is primarily centered on novel two-dimensional (2D) materials for multifunctional nanocomposite hybrid structures and bridging the gap in understanding their stimuli-responsiveness concerning their electronic, optical, and catalytic features.
Agnieszka leads an interdisciplinary research group, 'Bioactive nanomaterials', at the Faculty of Mechatronics. Her group has published many high-tier articles and demonstrated proficiency in acquiring and executing projects funded by the National Science Centre (NCN), National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), Excellence Initiative – Research University, European Research Area (ERA), and European COST Actions.
Agnieszka actively participates in scientific associations, being a member of the Materials Research Society and the American Chemical Society, USA, the Council of the Faculty of Mechatronics, and the Council of the Materials Engineering Discipline. She is also a member of the Council for Science, Higher Education, and Innovation within the National Development Council of the President of the Republic of Poland and the Young Academy of Europe (YAE).
Beyond her research endeavors, Agnieszka is actively championing the principles of sustainable and safe by design in developing advanced nanomaterials. As Warsaw University of Technology Project Mentor, appointed by the WUT Rector himself, she supports young researchers in their innovative endeavors. She also advocates for women's inclusion in STEM, amplifying their immense value to research and innovation. She promotes initiatives encouraging women's leadership in a collective effort to create an inclusive and vibrant scientific landscape.
Abstract:
On the photocatalytic activity of two-dimensional MBenes
Dominika Bury, Michał Jakubczak, Michael Naguib, Agnieszka Maria Jastrzębska
Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Wołoska 141, Warsaw 02-507, Poland
Tulane University, Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
MXenes are hexagonal two-dimentional structures confined to carbon and nitrogen in their structures. However, changing carbon and nitrogen into boron shifts the MXene paradigm into MBenes. The MBene family is a new member in the flatland and a derivative of ternary MAB phases. However, MBenes differ from MXenes in many ways.
Compared to MXenes, MBenes’ structure is more complex due to multiple lattice arrangements. At the same time, boron opens the door to the rich structural chemistry of MBene, excellent reactivity, mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and energy harvesting abilities, to mention a few.
While the presence of boron gives MXenes new bonding skills, it also makes their synthesis challenging. Herein, we present a new synthetic approach to Mo2B2 MBene from its parental MoAlB phase, supported by theoretical calculations. In addition, we demonstrate its tremendous photocatalytic potential compared to MXene. Therefore, we expect MBenes to boost the fundamental research toward exploring their photoactive features in the next decade.
Acknowledgments: The presented results were accomplished thanks to the funds allotted by the National Science Centre, within the framework of the research project ‘OPUS 18’ no. UMO-2019/35/B/ST5/02538