Advancements in MXenes

Abstract

MXenes have gained an excessive interest in architecting new-generation wearable devices owing to their unique physicochemical characteristics and machine processability. Accordingly, different strategies for scalable manufacturing of MXenes are explored for its mass-level production. Using a large reactor with optimal control of reaction parameters, the chemical etching approach has emerged as a feasible, scalable strategy to synthesize MXenes. Moreover, alternative precursors like non-MAX phases and ‘i-MAX’ phases have advanced these synthesis strategies with a new prospect of scalable production. These developments have projected MXene as a promising candidate to design next-generation wearable electronics with advanced features like intelligent operation, portable, compact, self-powered, flexible, stretchable, bendable, and skin embedded nature. Due to these features, MXenes and their hybrids with materials such as macromolecules, graphene-based materials, and metals are the current choice of advanced nanomaterials to fabricate wearable physical, chemical, and biosensors with excellent performances. These materials have consistently excellent sensing performance in all wear and tear situations and possess biomedical, agriculture, workplace safety, and environmental monitoring applications. Besides excellent electric conductivity and the prospect of accommodating skin depth factors, MXene based materials are used to design wireless communication systems supporting Bluetooth, WiFi, and 5G requirements. It anticipates the enormous potential of MXene based materials to architect field-deployable compact sensors for personalized healthcare monitoring with intelligent wireless operation.