Ti₃C₂T_<i>x</i> MXene Nanosheet-Functionalized Leathers for Versatile Wearable Electronics

Abstract

Flexible and multifunctional wearable electronics have attracted widespread attention. Herein, a flexible and multifunctional wearable MXene/leather fabricated by a simple vacuum filtration process has been reported. The fabricated MXene/leathers retain the unique thinness (∼1 mm) and breathability of the leather, which contributes to its comfort as wearable electronic devices. In addition, benefiting from the high-efficiency three-dimensional conductive network formed by the tight wrapping of collagen fiber bundles by MXene nanosheets inside the leather, MXene/leather exhibited excellent mechanical properties (Young’s modulus of 9.64 MPa) and conductivity (24.6 Ω sq–1). MXene/leather also has outstanding efficiency in electric-thermal conversion, which can be used as a flexible resistive heater to intelligently regulate the temperature of different parts of the human body at low driven voltages. Moreover, the flexible pressure sensor based on MXene/leather possesses a high sensitivity of 33.58 kPa–1, which can match the human finger pressure over a wide range without apparent deterioration. The MXene/leather-based pressure sensor can be assembled with a mechanical claw to simulate human skin for tactile recognition of object size and softness in a nondestructive manner. Finally, the MXene/leather-based triboelectric nanogenerator can not only be integrated with alternative current electroluminescence to construct a flexible display system but also monitor the human body’s movements to evaluate the health condition by harvesting mechanical energy from body movement. The MXene/leathers proposed have the potential to serve as a new versatile platform for the development of next-generation multifunctional wearable electronics.