Fabrication of MXene integrated superabsorbent polymers composites hydrogels for bacterial enrichment

Bacterial contamination in water samples, particularly at low concentrations, poses a critical challenge for accurate and efficient water quality monitoring. Existing preconcentration techniques, such as membrane filtration, are effective but often hindered by their labor-intensive nature, reliance on specialized equipment, and limited suitability for field applications. This study introduces a novel Ti 3 C 2 , MXene/superabsorbent polymer (SAP) composite synthesized via a breathing-in/breathing-out (BI-BO) method to enhance bacterial enrichment performance. The composite’s physicochemical and structural properties were comprehensively validated through FTIR, TGA, SEM, and XRD analyses. Swelling characterization demonstrated that MXene incorporation up to 2.3 % (three BI-BO cycles) maintained the SAP’s volumetric swelling ratio (VSR eq ) at ∼111 ± 7 m 3 /m 3 , preserving its water absorption capacity. However, at 3.1 % MXene (seven BI-BO cycles), VSR eq decreased to 90 m 3 /m 3 due to particle agglomeration and increased crosslinking density, highlighting the importance of optimizing MXene content. This leads to a remarkable bacterial recovery efficiency (RE) of 96 % in a single step and achieved a cumulative enrichment factor (EF) of 10-fold over four successive enrichment cycles, significantly surpassing conventional methods. It represents a transformative solution that is robust, portable, and cost-effective for bacterial enrichment, making it particularly suitable for low-resource and remote settings.