Sprayable MXene Hydrogels With Composition‐Driven Interfacial Stabilization and on‐Skin Gelation for Conformal Postsurgical Photothermal Therapy

ABSTRACT Oxidative degradation of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene in aqueous and biological environments remains a persistent obstacle to its long‐term use in biomedical applications, yet the role of the surrounding polymer matrix in governing this process has received little systematic attention. Here, we show that the lactide‐to‐glycolide ratio of a PLGA‐PEG‐PLGA triblock copolymer directly controls interfacial interactions at the MXene surface and, through this mechanism, determines how well the encapsulated nanosheets resist oxidation over time. Combined computational and experimental analyses reveal that glycolide‐rich segments form dense hydrogen‐bonding networks at the MXene interface, providing effective surface protection despite accelerated bulk hydrolysis. This competing interplay defines a compositional window in which MXene stability and hydrogel degradability are simultaneously optimized, a balance we validate through combined DFT, molecular dynamics, and experimental characterization. Building on this design principle, we formulate a sprayable composite that gels in situ upon contact with tissue, conformally coating irregular wound surfaces without manual placement. The optimized hydrogel exhibits robust photothermal performance under physiological conditions and effectively suppresses tumor growth in a postoperative melanoma model. These findings highlight the importance of interfacial design in stabilizing oxidation‐sensitive nanomaterials within dynamic polymer systems and provide practical guidelines for developing durable MXene‐based biomedical platforms.

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Journal
Small
Published
2026-09-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75631
Primary Topic
MXene and MAX Phase Materials
Type
article
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article

Sprayable MXene Hydrogels With Composition‐Driven Interfacial Stabilization and on‐Skin Gelation for Conformal Postsurgical Photothermal Therapy

Seok Hyeon Kim, Dae Woo Kim, Jin Yoo, Youngmee Jung et al.
Small
MXene and MAX Phase Materials
article

Sprayable MXene Hydrogels With Composition‐Driven Interfacial Stabilization and on‐Skin Gelation for Conformal Postsurgical Photothermal Therapy

Seok Hyeon Kim, Dae Woo Kim, Jin Yoo, Youngmee Jung, Bumjoon Seo, Yeonju Song, Seon Joon Kim, Soonjong Roh, Hyojin Lee, Taek Hwang, Yu‐Jin Kim, Byeongjun Jeon, Jin Yoo, Seong Ryeol Ye, Soojin Ko, SeongHoon Jo
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Oxidative degradation of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene in aqueous and biological environments remains a persistent obstacle to its long‐term use in biomedical applications, yet the role of the surrounding polymer matrix in governing this process has received little systematic attention. Here, we show that the lactide‐to‐glycolide ratio of a PLGA‐PEG‐PLGA triblock copolymer directly controls interfacial interactions at the MXene surface and, through this mechanism, determines how well the encapsulated nanosheets resist oxidation over time. Combined computational and experimental analyses reveal that glycolide‐rich segments form dense hydrogen‐bonding networks at the MXene interface, providing effective surface protection despite accelerated bulk hydrolysis. This competing interplay defines a compositional window in which MXene stability and hydrogel degradability are simultaneously optimized, a balance we validate through combined DFT, molecular dynamics, and experimental characterization. Building on this design principle, we formulate a sprayable composite that gels in situ upon contact with tissue, conformally coating irregular wound surfaces without manual placement. The optimized hydrogel exhibits robust photothermal performance under physiological conditions and effectively suppresses tumor growth in a postoperative melanoma model. These findings highlight the importance of interfacial design in stabilizing oxidation‐sensitive nanomaterials within dynamic polymer systems and provide practical guidelines for developing durable MXene‐based biomedical platforms.

Small
Seoul National University of Science and Technology (KR), Yonsei University (KR), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KR), Sungkyunkwan University (KR), Korea University of Science and Technology (KR)
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
MXene and MAX Phase Materials
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