Flexible piezoelectric sensor based on polyacrylonitrile/MWCNT/MXene composites films for human physiological health detection

Flexible piezoelectric sensors combine advantages including low-cost, flexibility, multi-functions, present a huge market prospect. In this research, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)/MXene/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) piezoelectric composites films for flexible piezoelectric sensors are fabricated by electrospinning technology, the planar zigzag conformation content of 97.98% in PAN composite fibers is achieved owing to the synergistic effect of MWCNT and MXene, the synergistic effect of MWCNT and MXene nanoparticles can also efficiently promote the mechanical performance and piezoelectric output. The piezoelectric sensor exhibits fast response time (10.21 ms), a possible mechanism is proposed to explain the improvement of piezoelectric effect. The sensor can measure human pulse, distinguish human movements, the fabricated sensor has broad practical value in the field of healthcare, its' use can contribute to stable and accurate measurements of physiological parameters, enabling applications in various healthcare and fitness monitoring scenarios.     

Preparation of multifunctional self-healing MXene/PVA double network hydrogel wearable strain sensor for monitoring human body and organ movement

In this work, a kind of conductive, self-healing hydrogel was prepared. Then it is assembled into a flexible wearable sensor for human motion detection and human-computer interaction. MXene/PVA-CBA hydrogel has super mechanical properties and excellent self-healing ability (1.8 s). It is assembled into a flexible sensor with high sensitivity, which can accurately detect various movements of the human body (ranging from frowning, speaking, and coughing on the face to bending of fingers and wrists, and body movements). Furthermore, it can be used for handwriting recognition. When it is installed on the artificial limb, it can realize the function of touching the capacitive screen. It solves the problem of using silicone prostheses to control the screen and has broad research potential in the field of intelligent robots. Therefore, the flexible wearable sensor composed of MXene/PVA-CBA hydrogel has great potential in human motion detection, bionic intelligent robot, and intelligent detection.     

基于聚苯胺改性构建三维MXene复合材料及其电容性能

通过直接电化学法,本文利用MXene表面官能团的诱导能力,在外加电场的作用下,将苯胺单体与MXene共同修饰在不锈钢电极表面,成功制得具有三维结构的MXene/聚苯胺复合电极材料。采用SEM、XRD、XPS、FTIR和Raman光谱对复合电极材料的表面形貌、物相结构和组成进行了表征,并在1mol/L H₂SO₄中详细研究了该电极材料的电容性能。结果表明,得益于MXene的掺杂,MXene/聚苯胺复合电极表现出较好的电子传导能力和优异的电容性能,在10mV/s的扫描速率下电容可达417F/g,当扫描速率增至200mV/s时,其电容保持率为52%,比纯PANI电极高31%。该复合电极材料具有良好的循环稳定性,在1.0A/g的电流密度下循环2000次后电容保持率可维持在83.4%。此项研究工作可为三维MXene复合材料的构建提供设计思路。     

Perforative pore formation on nanoplates for 2D porous MXene membranes via H2O2 mild etching

MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x) is a novel, two-dimensional (2D) layered material that is atomically thin, exhibits good mechanical strength, and is ideal for fabricating efficient membranes for molecular separation. However, the applications of MXene membranes are limited by their low water permeability owing to narrow channels and high tortuosity. A novel strategy for introducing artificial pores on the surface of MXene nanosheets via gentle in situ chemical etching with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) to prepare porous MXene nanosheets (PMS) is reported herein. This greatly increases the water permeability of MXene membranes while retaining the high rejection of small-molecule dyes. Permeable pores generated on MXene nanosheets transform the transport model of water molecules in the membrane from typical horizontal transport pathways dominated by interlayer channels to longitudinal–lateral three-dimensional transport pathways, affording increased water molecule transport channels and reduced transport distance. Based on different etching conditions, the obtained membranes exhibit high pure-water permeability ranging from 9.37 to 42.48 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹. Moreover, mild etching maintains the 2D structure of the membrane and retains a nearly complete rejection of congo red dye. This study provides a novel and effective strategy for preparing high-performance porous laminar MXene membranes for dye-separation applications.     

MXene在火灾预警传感器中的应用研究进展

火灾预警系统的核心之一是新型传感材料。MXene及其衍生物具有较高电子传导率和超大比表面积、独特的温敏性及气敏性，可实现对早期火灾的快速可靠预警，因此，在火灾预警传感器领域具有广泛的应用前景。该文首先回顾了温敏型MXene基火灾预警器的预警机制及其纸类与涂层类器件在火灾预警领域的发展现状，随后介绍了气敏型MXene基火灾预警器的预警机制及国内外近年来MXene及其衍生物在NH3、NO2、CO等气体检测的研究进展。重点总结了MXene在火灾预警领域高性能化、多功能化的发展趋势，并对MXene基火灾预警器后续发展趋势进行了展望。最后，指出未来MXene基火灾预警器应通过开发新型MXene基敏感材料以进一步缩短其响应触发时间、提高火灾预警的快速性与准确性，并考虑赋予器件自修复性、电磁屏蔽性、疏水性等多功能性，同时将其与物联网联动实现智能消防，使其更适合复杂环境和实际工程应用。     

Microwave-assisted efficient exfoliation of MXene and its composite for high-performance supercapacitors

MXene, as a promising electrode material, exhibits outstanding performance in supercapacitors because of its excellent chemical and physical properties. However, the conventional inefficient exfoliation methods and the blocked ion transmission channels caused by self-weight accumulation of MXene nanoflakes all severely limit its development. Here, this work reports an efficient microwave exfoliation method that requires only 90s to exfoliate multilayered MXene into few-layer MXene (2–3 nm) with large-size (4～6 μm). Additionally, to enhance its capacitance and cycling stability, the exfoliated MXene was composited with graphene quantum dots, which shows a larger specific surface area, and importantly performs ultrahigh capacitance (343 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g) and excellent capacitance retention (100% after 10,000 cycles at a current density of 5 A/g). When using composite material as an anode, the assembled supercapacitor exhibits an excellent energy density of 35 Wh/kg at a power density of 384 W/kg with 107% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. Not only does this work provide an efficient approach to exfoliate MXene, but it also prepares a highly promising material for energy storage materials.     

Toughening of vinyl ester resins by two-dimensional MXene nanosheets

Two-dimensional nanosheets are highly effective tougheners for vinyl ester resins. The toughening effect is related to the high specific surface area and unique two-dimensional planar structure of the nanosheets. In this study, a coupling agent γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy) propytrimethoxysilane (Kh-560) was used to modify MXene nanosheets (M-MXene) for use in toughening vinyl ester resin. The mechanical properties, including the tensile strength, flexural strength, Young’s modulus and elongation, of neat vinyl ester resin and vinyl ester resin modified with MXene and M-MXene were investigated. The results showed that modification significantly improved the mechanical properties of the vinyl ester resin. The tensile and flexural strengths of the MXene-nanosheet-modified vinyl ester resin were 27.20% and 25.32% higher, respectively, than those of the neat vinyl ester resin. The coupling agent improved the interfacial compatibility between the MXene nanosheets and vinyl ester resin, which resulted in the tensile and flexural strengths of the M-MXene-nanosheet-modified vinyl ester resin being 52.57% and 54.60% higher, respectively, than those of the neat vinyl ester resin for a loading quantity of nanosheets of only 0.04 wt %, which is economically viable. The main mechanisms by which the nanosheets toughen the resin are crack deflection and crack pinning.     

MXene/PVDF复合膜的制备、性能调控及其应用研究进展

二维过渡金属碳/氮化物（MXene）是一种新型二维碳化纳米材料，具有横向比率大、传输途径短和纳米通道多等独特优点。该文首先综述了MXene/聚偏氟乙烯（PVDF）膜的制备工艺，并分析了MXene与PVDF膜的电性能、机械性能、热性能、抗菌性能、化学稳定性等性能之间的调控关系；然后综述了MXene/PVDF复合膜在分离膜、高介电膜、电磁屏蔽膜等领域中的应用进展；最后对MXene/PVDF膜的发展方向进行了展望：在当前的研究阶段中，对PVDF膜进行抽滤处理仍然是发挥MXene优异性能的有效途径，这是一个主要的研究手段；同时，进一步深入研究MXene对PVDF膜定向调控的多功能性机制，有助于更好地理解MXene与PVDF膜之间的相互作用规律；此外，应该加强应用型研究，形成较完善的实际应用体系，这有助于更好地理解MXene/PVDF复合膜的自身性质和性能，推动MXene/PVDF复合膜在各领域的应用研究和实际发展。     

Durable and highly sensitive flexible sensors for wearable electronic devices with PDMS-MXene/TPU composite films

MXenes, as two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, carbonitrides, and nitrides, have very excellent electrical properties and surface activity and are increasingly used in supercapacitors, batteries, electromagnetic interference shielding, and composite materials. Still, the poor stability of MXene when exposed to aqueous oxygen and the poor ability to interact with the polymer matrix have become important factors limiting its’ practical applications. To enhance stability, highly conductive and stretchable Ti₃C₂MXene/TPU sensing elements were prepared by a simple spraying process using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as a substrate, and the sensing elements were encapsulated by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to obtain MXene-TPU/PDMS constructed flexible strain sensors with excellent performance. This strain sensor features low detection limits (less than 0.005%, 0.5 μm), a wide sensing range (0–90%), a short response time (120.1 ms), and excellent durability (>3000 cycles). This strain sensor can be applied to a range of applications such as health detection, motion signals, detection of robot movements, and wearable electronic devices.     

Waste cotton Fabric/MXene composite aerogel with heat generation and insulation for efficient electromagnetic interference shielding

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials have become more and more indispensable due to serious electromagnetic-radiation pollution. Herein, waste cotton cellulose aerogels were prepared by dissolving waste cotton fabrics (WCF) in NaOH/urea aqueous solution, and MXene nanosheets were subsequently deposited on the cellulose aerogels by a facile dip coating method to obtain WCF/MXene composite aerogels. The WCF/MXene composite aerogels with highly porous network structure show remarkable electrical conductivity (8.2 Ω/sq of surface resistance), high EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) in the range of 2–18 GHz (39.3–48.1 dB). The WCF/MXene aerogel possesses high SSE and SSE/t of 677.94–829.74 dB cm³ g^?1 and 3512.62–4299.17 dB cm² g^?1, respectively (2–18 GHz). In addition, the heating temperature of WCF/MXene composite aerogels reaches 199 °C when 3 V positive voltage is applied on them. The WCF/MXene composite aerogels possess excellent electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, heat generation property and insulation, which can be potentially used as multifunctional materials for EMI shielding, electrical-heating and high temperature protection.     

MXene/PDMS composite foam with regulatable cell structures for improved EMI shielding performance

The construction of conductive network and the design of material structure are the key points of polymer-based shielding materials. Herein, we reported a MXene/PDMS composite foam material with adjustable cell structure and high efficiency electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Few-layered MXene is used as a conductive filler to construct three-dimensional conductive networks by in situ chemical etching. Meanwhile, a series of polystyrene microspheres with different sizes were prepared by applying suspension polymerization method as templates to introduce different cell sizes and densities for PDMS-based materials. The density and EMI shielding performance of composites can be improved by adjusting the cell structure. Compared with the unfoamed MXene/PDMS composites, the composite foam in this work not only reduces the material density greatly but also improves the microwave absorption performance with smaller cell size. This method provides a simple and effective guide for changing material density and absorbing mechanism by introducing cell structure into polymer-based materials in the future.     

Preparation and characterization of polymer‐Ti3C2Tx (MXene) composite nanofibers produced via electrospinning

MXene, a recently‐discovered family of two‐dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides and/or nitrides, have attracted much interest because of their unique electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. In this study, poly(acrylic acid), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and alginate/PEO were electrospun with delaminated Ti₃C₂ (MXene) flakes. The effect of small additions of delaminated Ti₃C₂ (1% w/w) on the structure and properties of the nanofibers were investigated and compared with those of the neat polymer nanofibers using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Ti₃C₂ had an effect on the solution properties of the polymer and a greater effect on the average fiber diameter. The Ti₃C₂T_x/PEO solution exhibited the largest change in viscosity and conductivity with an 11% and 73.6% increase over the base polymer, respectively. X‐ray diffractograms demonstrated a high degree of crystallization for Ti₃C₂/PEO and a slight decrease in crystallinity for Ti₃C₂/PVA. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45295.     

Prestructured MXene fillers with uniform channels to enhance CO2 selective permeation in mixed matrix membranes

The packing pattern of two-dimensional (2D) sheet-like fillers in membranes is relatively random, leading to the unfavorable permeability from tortuous diffusion pathway. A new strategy that using prestructured materials with uniform channels as fillers was proposed. In this work, Ti₃AlC₂ is etched to prepare multilayered MXene (m-MXene), the channels aggregate as a whole unit, ensure the impossibility of ineffective packing compared with traditional individual sheets, largely facilitating the selective permeation. Then, the m-MXene/Poly (amide-6-b-ethylene oxide) (Pebax) MMMs are synthesized. SEM images demonstrate the accordion shaped structure of filler, which is the multi-channels laminates. Furthermore, the results of gas permeation test exhibit enhanced performance of m-MXene/Pebax MMMs. MMM with 0.5 wt.% m-MXene behaved best, CO₂ permeability of 86.22 Barrer as well as CO₂/N₂ selectivity of 104.85, transcending the Robeson upper bound (2008). Having distinct enhancement for CO₂ separation, the m-MXene/Pebax MMMs in this work offer prospective practical applications.     

Broadband electromagnetic absorption of Ti3C2Tx MXene/WS2 composite via constructing two-dimensional heterostructure

Ti₃C₂T_x MXene, an emerging two-dimensional (2D) ceramic material, has rich interfaces and strong conductive networks. Herein, we have successfully built a heterostructure between Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and WS₂ to improve electromagnetic absorption performance. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to determine the successful synthesis of Ti₃C₂T_x/WS₂ composite. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images show that WS₂ nanosheets are evenly dispersed on the accordion-like Ti₃C₂T_x MXene. Importantly, Ti₃C₂T_x MXene/WS₂ composite has sufficiently high dielectric loss and impedance matching due to self-adjusting conductivity and 2D heterostructure interfaces. As a result, the Ti₃C₂T_x/WS₂ composite has a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of −61.06 dB at 13.28 GHz. Besides, it has a broad effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.5 GHz, with EAB >5.0 GHz covering a wide range of thickness. Such impressive results may provide experience for the application of Ti₃C₂T_x ceramics and 2D materials.     

Enhanced dielectric response of ternary polymeric composite films via interfacial bonding between V2C MXene and wide-bandgap ZnS

Increasing the dielectric constant of polymer/sulfide ceramic composites by using wide-bandgap semiconducting sulfide ceramic fillers like ZnS is difficult because of their low interface polarization. To increase the dielectric constant, in this study, ternary polymer-based composite films were designed and fabricated using a hybrid filler consisting of shell-like ZnS particles and core-like V₂C MXene particles. First, V₂C MXene with a multi-layered structure was synthesized from the simplest raw materials followed by the in-situ hydrothermal growth of ZnS particles around the V₂C particles. Then, binary polymer/ZnS and ternary polymer/V₂C–ZnS composites were fabricated, and their dielectric, conductive, and electrical breakdown properties were investigated. Finally, the effect of interfacial bonding between the V₂C and ZnS phases was investigated by density functional theory calculations, and the contribution of V₂C/ZnS interfacial bonding to the higher dielectric constant of the ternary composites than that of the binary composites was explained. The ternary composites exhibited balanced electrical properties suitable for energy storage applications. The ternary composite with 10 wt% hybrid filler loading exhibited a high dielectric constant of ~52, a low dielectric loss of ~0.11 at 100 Hz, and a high electrical breakdown strength of ~202 MV m⁻¹. This study paves the way for the facile fabrication of high-performance composite dielectrics for application in advanced capacitors.     

二维晶体MXene的制备与性能研究进展

MXene是一种新型过渡金属碳化物二维晶体,具有和石墨烯类似的结构.化学式为Mn+1Xn,其中n=1、2、3,M为早期过渡金属元素,X为碳或氮元素.这一类材料可以通过氢氟酸解离层状陶瓷材料MAX相获得,具有优异的力学、电子、磁学等性能.MXene是一种很有前途的新型锂离子电池负极材料,可以用在新型复合材料增强体,可以作为高温润滑材料.这种材料在储能、电子、润滑等领域具有重要的应用价值.本文介绍了该类材料的制备方法、性能、潜在应用及其研究现状.     

二维晶体Mxene的制备及催化领域的应用研究进展

二维材料是指电子仅可在两个维度的非纳米尺度上自由运动的材料,由于其独特而优异的物理化学性质,很快成为近年来的研究热点.二维晶体MXene材料具有良好的导热导电性、高热稳定性和抗氧化性,在催化领域显示出巨大的潜能可用于降解污染物、水解制氢、以及还原二氧化碳.介绍了MXene的结构及化学液相刻蚀、高温分解和气相刻蚀的制备方法,综述了MXene在催化领域的应用研究进展,展望了MXene在催化领域的应用前景和未来的研究方向.     

Flexible and sensitive piezoresistive electronic skin based on TOCN/PPy hydrogel films

In recent years, the wearable electronic skin (E-skin) has attracted more and more attention due to high sensitivity, good portability and flexibility. In this work, we used the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (TOCN) as the substrate, and used the in-situ polymerization method to introduce polypyrrole (PPy) into the TOCN substrate. Then, the nylon gauze was used as microstructure template to prepare a TOCN/PPy E-skin with a surface microstructure. This E-skin possessed excellent sensing and mechanical properties. In the pressure range of 0–600 Pa, the sensitivity of E-skin was 3.13 kPa⁻¹. In addition, the E-skin exhibited ultrafast response/recovery time (≤10 ms), ultralow detection limit of 0.3 Pa, good stability (>9000 cycles) and mechanical strength of up to 117 MPa. Therefore, the TOCN/PPy E-skin has broad development prospects in the fields of artificial intelligence and health monitoring.     

A supersensitive wearable sensor constructed with PDMS porous foam and multi-integrated conductive pathways structure

In recent years, wearable multifunctional strain sensors have attracted attention for their promising applications in wearable electronics and portable devices. To achieve a high-performance wearable strain sensor with a wide sensing range and high gauge factor (GF), wisely choosing appropriate conductive materials and a rational structural design is essential. Herein, we develop a supersensitive sensor that contains one-dimensional conductive material CNT and two-dimensional material MXene built on a PDMS porous foam that is made based on a sugar template. The one-dimensional carbon nanotube (CNT) functionalizes as a conductive scale layer through solvent swelling and evaporation on the surface of the PDMS skeleton. The two-dimensional MXene is applied on top of the CNT layer to form final conductive pathways. The PDMS/CNT@MXene (PCM) sensor has a wide sensing range (150%), high sensitivity (GF = 26438), rapid response speed (response/recovery time of 60/71 ms), and exceptional durability (>1000 cycles) owing to its unique porous structure with scale layers and graded fracture of conductive pathways. Moreover, the PCM sensor is capable of monitoring subtle and significant human activities and is used for wireless sensing and medical diagnostics, even for solvent identification. The superior performance of the PCM sensor provides vast application potential in human movement, health monitoring, and warning devices.     

基于弹性聚合物复合材料的压阻式柔性应变传感器研究进展

综述了近年来基于弹性聚合物复合材料的压阻式柔性应变传感器的研究现状,包括压阻式柔性应变传感器的结构、传感机理、传感器基质,以及导电材料种类、结构控制方法及应用等。指出了现阶段压阻式柔性应变传感器研究面临的主要问题,并对其未来发展方向进行了展望。