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Hydrophobic, Hemostatic and Durable Nanofiber Composites with a Screw-Like Surface Architecture for Multifunctional Sensing Electronics

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Abstract

MXene-decorated textile composites have attracted tremendous attention, due to their possible applications in wearable sensing electronics. However, the easy oxidation, low strain sensitivity and poor water-proof performance restrict the applications of MXene-based smart textiles. Here, we developed a flexible and hydrophobic polymer nanofibrous composite with a screw-like structure by assembling MXene nanosheets onto a prestretched polyurethane (PU) nanofiber surface and subsequent fluorination treatment. The thin hydrophobic fluorosilane layer can greatly prevent the MXene shell from being oxidized and simultaneously endow the nanofiber composite with good hemostatic performance. The wrinkled MXene shell with the screw-like structure enhances the sensitivity of MXene@PU nanofiber composite (HMPU) toward strain, and the hydrophobic strain sensor exhibits a high gauge factor (324.4 in the strain range of 85–100%), and can detect different human movements. In virtue of its excellent water-proof performance, HMPU can function normally in corrosive and underwater conditions. In addition, the resistance of HMPU exhibits a negative temperature coefficient; thus, HMPU shows potential for monitoring temperature and providing a temperature alarm. The multifunctional HMPU shows broad application prospects in smart wearable electronics.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFB3808000/2022YFB3808001), Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51873178, No.21673203), the Opening Project of State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering (Sichuan University) (No. sklpme2020-4-03), Qing Lan Project of Yangzhou University and Jiangsu Province, High-end Talent Project of Yangzhou University and the Project for High-Level Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship of Quanzhou (Grant No. 2022C016R).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225002, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Wei Xiao, Yutong Chen, Jun Yan & Jiefeng Gao

  2. MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, Fujian, People’s Republic of China

    Gaoxing Pan

  3. Qingyuan Innovation Laboratory, College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, 2 Xueyuan Road, Fuzhou, 350108, Fujian, People’s Republic of China

    Jin Zhang

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  1. Wei Xiao
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Correspondence to Jin Zhang or Jiefeng Gao.

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Jiefeng Gao is an editorial board member/editor-in-chief for [Advanced Fiber Materials] and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. All authors declare that there are no conflict of interest.

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Xiao, W., Chen, Y., Pan, G. et al. Hydrophobic, Hemostatic and Durable Nanofiber Composites with a Screw-Like Surface Architecture for Multifunctional Sensing Electronics. Adv. Fiber Mater. 5, 2040–2054 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-023-00324-1

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