Superhydrophobic MXene-Based Fabric with Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Thermal Management Ability for Flexible Sensors

Abstract

Smart fabrics have made remarkable progress in the field of wearable electronics because of their unique structure, flexibility and breathability, which are highly desirable with integrated multifunctionality. Here, a superhydrophobic smart fabric has been fabricated by decorating conductive MXene on nylon fabric modified by polydopamine (PDA), followed by spraying hydrophobic materials (SiO₂ and FOTS). The hydrophobic layer not only provides the fabric with superhydrophobicity, but also protects MXene from oxidation. Highly conductive MXene-wrapped fibers endow the fabric with adjustable conductivity and many satisfactory functions. Commendably, the smart fabric possesses sensing performances of ultralow detection limit (0.2% strain), fast response time (60 ms), short recovery time (90 ms), and outstanding sensing stability (5000 cycles). These sensing performances allow the smart fabric to accurately detect body respiratory signals in the running state, exercise state and sleep state, thus keeping track of respiratory health information. Moreover, the smart fabric also exhibits outstanding EMI shielding effectiveness (66.5 dB) in the X-band, satisfactory photothermal performance (68.6 °C at 100 mW/cm²), and excellent electrothermal conversion capability (up to 102.3 °C at 8 V). Therefore, the smart fabric is extremely promising for applications in EMI shielding, thermal management, and respiratory monitoring, and is an ideal candidate for smart clothing and as a medical diagnostic tool.

Graphical Abstract

It is of great significance to develop smart fabric with outstanding mechanical robustness and environmental stability under harsh conditions for its practical applications. A superhydrophobic fabric has been fabricated with integrated sensing capacity, EMI shielding effectiveness, electrothermal performance and photothermal performance, which enable the smart fabric to work in harsh conditions, indicating an ideal candidate for smart clothing.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(21975107); China Scholarship Council(202206790046)