Abstract: Researchers at Drexel University discovered MXenes, a new family of 2D materials, in 2010. The scientists soon found ways to prepare what seemed like endless chemical compositions of these materials, many with unique properties. Now studied by researchers worldwide, MXenes may soon play a transformative role in energy storage, electronics, optics, biomedicine, and catalysis. Many companies have MXene licenses and patents, and companies are on the verge of launching the first commercial products. But to make a real impact, researchers must tailor MXenes to improve their chemical stability and identify ways to manufacture them inexpensively at large scale. Michael Naguib remembers with humor and humility the day he accidentally discovered a remarkable new material. It was a hot August morning in 2010. Naguib, a PhD student at Drexel University, had been wrangling a material called a MAX phase, trying to make it work as a lithium-ion battery electrode. But the