Titanium Aluminium Carbide (Ti₃AlC₂) MAX Powder: High-Purity MXene Precursor, Now Manufactured in Indonesia

Ti₃AlC₂ has a property most ceramics simply don't: it can heal its own cracks. Heat it in air to around 1,100°C and the aluminum in its structure reacts with oxygen to form a protective α-Al₂O₃ layer that fills the crack from within. That behavior exists because Ti₃AlC₂ belongs to the MAX phase family, a class of layered materials that combines metallic and ceramic properties in a single structure. It's soft enough to machine at room temperature, yet its Young's modulus still runs close to 300 GPa. That combination is exactly why Ti₃AlC₂ is so widely used as a raw material for MXene synthesis, a high-temperature structural component, and a conductive electrode material.

Research labs in Indonesia have typically had to import MAX powder to get high purity and freedom from secondary phases. That purity, at this precursor stage, is what determines the quality of the MXene produced later, once the etching step is carried out. That's starting to change.

ITNANO (CV. Inovasi Teknologi Nano), based at the NRE Lab in Medan, is Indonesia's first private nanomaterials research startup manufacturing Ti₃AlC₂ MAX Powder locally, at above 99% purity. Here's what Ti₃AlC₂ actually is, why its purity matters so much, and where it's being used in research and industry today.

What Is Ti₃AlC₂ MAX Powder?

Ti₃AlC₂ belongs to the MAX phase family, with the general formula Mₙ₊₁AXₙ. M is a transition metal, in this case titanium. A is a main-group element, aluminum. X is carbon or nitrogen. Structurally, it's built from layers of titanium carbide interleaved with a single atomic layer of aluminum. That layered arrangement is why Ti₃AlC₂ is often called a natural composite: it carries the high-temperature stability and stiffness of a ceramic, while still exhibiting the electrical conductivity, thermal shock resistance, and damage tolerance of a metal.

Phase purity is the single most decisive factor here, largely because Ti₃AlC₂ is most commonly used as the raw material for synthesizing Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene. During etching, the aluminum layer dissolves and most of the material's volume is lost. Any secondary phase that was already mixed into the powder, unreacted TiC or leftover Ti₂AlC, doesn't disappear along with it; it becomes more concentrated as the total volume shrinks. In practice, that means a less pure precursor produces a MXene with more impurity than the starting material appeared to have. ITNANO's Ti₃AlC₂ is supplied at above 99% purity, with a density of 4.2 g/cm³, a BET surface area of 12.51 m²/g, and a molecular weight of 195.6 g/mol, specifications that keep the etching outcome consistent from batch to batch.

Where Ti₃AlC₂ MAX Powder Is Being Used

Raw material for Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene synthesis

This is Ti₃AlC₂'s most prominent application: serving as the starting material for producing Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene through selective etching that dissolves the aluminum layer. The quality of the MAX phase at this stage is the foundation for everything downstream. A MXene with high conductivity and surface area can only come from a MAX powder that was genuinely free of secondary phases to begin with.

High-temperature structural components

Ti₃AlC₂ is one of the most oxidation-resistant MAX phases, across the 900–1,400°C range, thanks to the protective α-Al₂O₃ layer that forms automatically on its surface. That same layer is also what gives it the ability to self-heal microcracks. This makes Ti₃AlC₂ a fit for turbine components, heating elements, and kiln furniture that need to survive extreme thermal conditions without failing brittlely.

Battery and supercapacitor electrodes

Ti₃AlC₂'s metallic-level electrical conductivity makes it relevant to lithium, sodium, and zinc-ion battery applications, either as a conductive additive or as the base material before conversion into MXene. That same conductivity is also why it's being researched as an electrode component in supercapacitors.

EMI shielding, gas sensors, and adsorption

Beyond its role as a precursor, Ti₃AlC₂ in composite form is also being researched for EMI shielding and gas sensing applications, drawing on its high conductivity. Its layered structure also gives it an affinity for heavy metal ions and azo dye molecules, making it a material of interest for adsorption research and wastewater treatment.

Why Source Ti₃AlC₂ Locally

Because impurities in MAX powder carry through and become concentrated after etching, precursor purity isn't just a number on a spec sheet. It directly determines the performance of the MXene or other downstream material produced from that batch. An imported batch contaminated during production or packaging can't be purified again once it arrives. ITNANO, established by the Titian Research Group's NRE Lab, manufactures Ti₃AlC₂ domestically with purity control above 99% on every batch, giving Indonesian labs and manufacturers a clean starting point for their entire 2D-material research pipeline.

Whether you're synthesizing MXene yourself, developing high-temperature structural components, formulating conductive electrodes, or researching EMI shielding and adsorption, Ti₃AlC₂ gives you a precursor purity that a distant supplier can't guarantee after shipping, without the import wait. See ITNANO's 2D Materials product line for current specifications and pricing.

Get Research-Grade Ti₃AlC₂ MAX Powder Today

Whether you're working on MXene synthesis, high-temperature components, conductive electrodes, or EMI shielding and adsorption research, ITNANO gives you direct access to locally manufactured, research-grade Titanium Aluminium Carbide (Ti₃AlC₂) MAX Powder.

View product specifications at itnano.store

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ITNANO is a product line by NRE Lab (CV. Inovasi Teknologi Nano), based in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, advancing local access to graphene, 2D materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and other advanced nanomaterials for research and industry.