Abstract
MXene-based hydrogels, a flourishing family of soft materials, have recently emerged as promising candidates for stretchable electronics. Despite recent progress, most works use MXenes as conductive nanofillers. Herein, by tuning the molecular interactions between MXene nanosheets and other constituents within the hydrogels, we demonstrate Ti$_{3}$C$_{3}$T$_{$\textit{x}$}$ MXene can act as a versatile cross-linker to activate the fast gelation of a wide range of hydrogels, starting from various monomer- and polymer-based precursors. The gelation behavior varies significantly across hydrogels. In general, the fast gelation mechanism is attributed to the easier generation of free radicals with the help of Ti$_{3}$C$_{2}$T$_{$\textit{x}$}$ MXene and the presence of multiscale molecular interactions between MXene and polymers. The use of MXene as a dynamic cross-linker leads to superior mechanical properties, adhesion, and self-healing ability. Owing to the inherent photothermal behavior of Ti$_{3}$C$_{3}$T$_{$\textit{x}$}$ and the heterogeneous phase-transforming features of polymers, a polymer-MXene hydrogel is demonstrated to exhibit distinctive thermosensation-based actuation upon near-infrared illumination, accompanied by rapid shape transformation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Journal | ACS Nano |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 20 2021 |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-03-22Acknowledgements: This work was supported by King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), National Natural Science Foundation of China (21805136), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20170999), and Research Innovation Plan for Graduate Students in Jiangsu Province (KYCX20_1035).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy
- General Materials Science
- General Engineering