Weekly Update: Project Clean Up Newsletter - Vol. 1, Issue 35

Date: February 6, 2026

The Silver Slayer: MXenes and the End of Metal-Heavy Shielding

Welcome back to the Project Clean Up (PCU) weekly newsletter! Last week, we explored the "Post-Metal" shift toward Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene. This week, we introduce the next powerhouse in that lineup: MXenes.

For decades, the world has relied on silver-based inks and coatings to shield our electronics from interference and to create conductive traces. However, silver is expensive, heavy, and intensive to mine. MXenes—composed of transition metal carbides or nitrides—offer conductivity that rivals metals but with the flexibility of a polymer. .

At Project Clean Up (PCU), we are implementing our Lifecycle Standard for this material. While MXenes are not yet available "off the shelf" for mass production, we are already developing the "Reset Protocol" to ensure that when these materials are discarded, they don't persist in the environment like the fluoropolymers of the past.