Tailoring MXene Flake Morphology via Aerosol Jet Printing for Biological and Strain Sensor Applications

ABSTRACT MXenes (Ti 3 C 2 T x ) are two‐dimensional (2D) layered nanomaterials typically processed as aligned flakes. However, their morphology can also be engineered into crumpled architectures with distinct physicochemical properties that remain largely unexplored. Here, Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) is established as a scalable manufacturing strategy to tailor MXene flake morphology through precise control of the printing conditions. By repurposing the printer's built‐in alignment camera, a rapid monitoring method was developed to distinguish aligned and crumpled morphologies during fabrication. Systematic investigation of the printing parameters identified mass flow, nozzle size, and ink concentration as the key variables governing flake morphology, demonstrating its general applicability on other 2D materials, such as graphene and MoS 2 . Aligned MXene films achieved electrical conductivities of up to 2672 ± 125 S cm − 1 , whereas crumpled films exhibited increased roughness and hydrophilicity. The engineered morphologies were further validated across multiple applications, including neural interfaces, antimicrobial coatings, and strain sensors. Both morphologies supported excellent biocompatibility with primary neurons and human induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived neural cells, while crumpled MXenes enhanced antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and improved strain‐sensing performance. These findings highlight the importance of controlling the morphology of 2D materials during 3D printing, providing a scalable route toward multifunctional biomedical devices.

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Journal
Small
Published
2026-09-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75583
Primary Topic
MXene and MAX Phase Materials
Type
article
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article

Tailoring MXene Flake Morphology via Aerosol Jet Printing for Biological and Strain Sensor Applications

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Small
MXene and MAX Phase Materials
article

Tailoring MXene Flake Morphology via Aerosol Jet Printing for Biological and Strain Sensor Applications

Dahnan Spurling, Julian Carolan, Jose Munuera, Ilias M. Oikonomou, Richard G. Hobbs, Cian O’Connor, Tian Carey, Jack Maughan, Valeria Nicolosi, Ian Woods, G Brunetti, Eoin Caffrey, Fergal J. O’Brien, Tara McGuire, Javier Gutierrez Gonzalez, Luke Doolan, Maeve A. Caldwell, Adrian Dervan, Jonathan N. Coleman
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT MXenes (Ti 3 C 2 T x ) are two‐dimensional (2D) layered nanomaterials typically processed as aligned flakes. However, their morphology can also be engineered into crumpled architectures with distinct physicochemical properties that remain largely unexplored. Here, Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) is established as a scalable manufacturing strategy to tailor MXene flake morphology through precise control of the printing conditions. By repurposing the printer's built‐in alignment camera, a rapid monitoring method was developed to distinguish aligned and crumpled morphologies during fabrication. Systematic investigation of the printing parameters identified mass flow, nozzle size, and ink concentration as the key variables governing flake morphology, demonstrating its general applicability on other 2D materials, such as graphene and MoS 2 . Aligned MXene films achieved electrical conductivities of up to 2672 ± 125 S cm − 1 , whereas crumpled films exhibited increased roughness and hydrophilicity. The engineered morphologies were further validated across multiple applications, including neural interfaces, antimicrobial coatings, and strain sensors. Both morphologies supported excellent biocompatibility with primary neurons and human induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived neural cells, while crumpled MXenes enhanced antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and improved strain‐sensing performance. These findings highlight the importance of controlling the morphology of 2D materials during 3D printing, providing a scalable route toward multifunctional biomedical devices.

Small
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (IE), Trinity College Dublin (IE), Instituto Nacional del Carbón (ES), Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (IE), Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
MXene and MAX Phase Materials
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