MXene in LEO

MXene in LEO (MXene Material and Wearable Device Experiments in Low-Earth Orbit Space Habitat) is a project aimed at studying the properties of MXenes – advanced nanomaterials that may revolutionize space and medical technologies. Scientists from AGH University of Krakow have been working with a titanium carbide-based version of MXenes, which they have been producing in the lab since 2018. 

The goal of the experiment is to verify the stability of nanomaterials in microgravity, as well as to test innovative wristbands equipped with MXene-based sensors for human wrist movement and pulse measurement in space. The wristbands were created from eco-friendly bacterial cellulose – a biomaterial that could become an alternative to petroleum-based plastics. Interestingly, there is also the potential to produce this material directly on the ISS during future space missions. 

The project is coordinated by Dr. Eng. Shreyas Srivatsa. The team also includes: Prof. Tadeusz Uhl, Dr. Agata Kołodziejczyk, Dr. Eng. Krzysztof Grabowski, Dr. Eng. Dagmara Stasiowska, Dr. Darukesha Baraduru Hirematada, M.Sc. Eng. Wojciech Guziewicz, and M.Sc. Eng. Sławomir Rudawski. 

IGNIS is a part of the international Ax-4 mission. Ax-4 is commanded by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and currently the Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. Alongside Dr. Uznański-Wiśniewski, the crew also includes Shubhanshu Shukla from India (pilot) and Tibor Kapu from Hungary (mission specialist).