The Synthesis of Multifunctional MXene-Composites for Three-Dimensional Aerosol Jet Printing

The fabrication of electronic devices of two-dimensional (2D) materials such as MXenes, via jetting-based 3D printing techniques, has shown great promise for advanced applications, including flexible sensors and energy storage devices. The synthetic routes for device fabrication often require extended durations and multiple complex processes, particularly for the synthesis of printable inks, thereby greatly hampering the scalability and practical deployment of such technologies. Herein, we report a facile strategy for the synthesis of 2D Ti3C2-APTES, Ti3C2-MPTES, and Ti3C2-MPTMS via silylation reaction, as well as their dispersions in suitable solvents for 3D aerosol jet printing (3D-AJP). By merging 2D MXene with organosilanes, the resulting inks exhibit high stability with excellent water dispersibility, cost-effectiveness, tunable surface functionalization, and enhanced accessibility to reactive sites. Moreover, under ambient conditions, the 3D-AJP inks show stability for up to 18 months, demonstrating exceptional durability, which is an ideal feature for long-term practical applications of the ink. This work thus not only establishes a paradigm for the 3D printing of flexible advanced materials but also presents a low-cost, scalable strategy for the preparation of multifunctional, additive-free, and conductive inks suitable for large-scale applications.