Universal salt-assisted assembly of MXene from suspension on polymer substrates
Two-dimensional carbides and nitrides, known as MXenes, are promising for water-processable coatings due to their excellent electrical, thermal, and optical properties. However, depositing hydrophilic MXene nanosheets onto inert or hydrophobic polymer surfaces requires plasma treatment or chemical modification. This study demonstrates a universal salt-assisted assembly method that produces ultra-thin, uniform MXene coatings with exceptional mechanical stability and washability on various polymers, including high-performance polymers for extreme temperatures. The salt in the Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub> colloidal suspension reduces surface charges, enabling electrostatically hydrophobized MXene deposition on polymers. A library of salts was used to optimize assembly kinetics and coating morphology. A 170 nm MXene coating can reduce radiation temperature by ~200 °C on a 300 °C PEEK substrate, while the coating on Kevlar fabric provides comfort in extreme conditions, including outer space and polar regions.
Authors
- Bo Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9766-7925)
- Danzhen Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0005-2674)
- Ruocun Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8095-5285)
- Guanhui Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4760-1378)
- Aidan Flynn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6097-2296)
- Yury G. Gogotsi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9423-4032)
- Yunwei Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5410-4505)
- Xuemei Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6670-4316)
- Liang Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1567-6516)
- Lingyi Bi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3486-1549)
- Ling Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5660-1282)
- Jiayue Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4089-6932)
- Teng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3736-5594)
Institutions
- Bryn Mawr College (US)
- Drexel University (US)
- Rice University (US)
- Villanova University (US)
- Temple University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-11-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53840-y
- Citations
- 21
- Primary Topic
- MXene and MAX Phase Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.46
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Villanova University
- Drexel University
- Office of Science
- Division of Materials Research
- Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
- Basic Energy Sciences