In science, the fastest path to the future sometimes requires digging through the past.Researchers at Sweden’s Linköping University used artificial intelligence to search decades of scientific archives and uncovered 33 previously overlooked MXene forms. These ultra-thin, high-performance materials were first officially recognized in 2011, making the recovery of these hidden compositions a major step forward for materials science.The team created a greener synthesis method that produces MXenes in seconds at room temperature, using less water and fewer hazardous chemicals. This advance improves scalability for widespread commercial applications.Finding the new formsThe findings reveal that certain materials capable of transforming clean tech may have been sitting on dusty digital shelves since the 1970s.“We need to look both backward and forwards to accelerate materials science. There’s so much information in the literature that we’re not aware of. We as researchers sometimes reinvent the wheel and claim to have made great discoveries – but then it turns out they were already made in Germany, for example, in the 1970s,” said Johanna Rosén, Professor of Materials Physics at Linköping University, LiU.Early researchers synthesized the precursor parent crystals as far back as the 1970s, but the materials remained hidden in archives because the scientific framework for two-dimensional physics did not yet exist. At the time, scientists lacked both the conceptual framework for single-atom exfoliation and advanced characterization tools like high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopes. Therefore. experts earlier documented these complex crystal structures without realizing their ultra-thin 2D potential.MXenes are two-dimensional materials consisting of atom-thin layers of metals combined with carbon or nitrogen. MXenes have a massive surface area relative to their weight, as a single millimeter of the material can pack millions of stacked sheets.Greener, scalable manufacturingThis unique architecture drives powerful chemical reactions, making them prime candidates for battery energy storage, water purification, telecommunications, and biomedical devices.Researchers unlocked two major breakthroughs alongside expanding the material family tree. They developed a greener synthesis process that creates MXenes in seconds without external heat, reducing toxic chemicals and water use. The team also introduced magnetic properties to MXenes through the addition of rare earth elements. It opens new possibilities for advanced data storage and electronics.As scalable, low-impact manufacturing methods take hold, these rediscovered materials could soon transition from lab-bench curiosities to commercial workhorses for global sustainability.“MXenes can have a wide range of useful properties, many with potential applications in sustainability. Discovering new compositions gives us the opportunity to explore even more possibilities for how these materials can be used,” said Ali Saffar Shamshirgar, researcher at LiU and first author. However, turning advanced materials from lab success into commercial products often falters at the production stage, where slow manufacturing and harsh chemical inputs make mass production prohibitively expensive and unsafe. The development of a rapid room-temperature synthesis method could remove this primary hurdle for MXenes. Manufacturers can scale output efficiently as energy-intensive heating is eliminated and chemical waste is reduced. This shift could help transform a niche experimental material into a viable, cost-effective component for commercial energy and electronic devices.The results were published in the journal Science.