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MXene quantum dot within natural 3D watermelon peel matrix for biocompatible flexible sensing platform

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Abstract

Environmentally friendly biomimetic materials with good deformability, high pressure-sensitive performance, and excellent biocompatibility are highly attractive for health monitoring, but to simultaneously meet these requirements is a formidable challenge. In this study, biocompatible MXene quantum dot (MQD)/watermelon peel (WMP) aerogels were obtained by immersing freeze-dried fresh watermelon peel into the quantum dot dispersion. The resulting bio-aerogels with a three-dimensional (3D) porous network structure exhibited a low in elasticity modulus (0.03 MPa) and limit of detection (0.4 Pa) and it showed biocompatibility. With a maximum pressure-sensitive response of 323 kPa−1, the 3D porous MQD/WMP aerogels exhibited good stability. In addition, the sensing signals could be displayed on mobile phones through a Bluetooth module to monitor human motion (pulse, sound, and walking) in real time. More importantly, the MQD/WMP aerogels exhibited excellent biocompatibility in a cytotoxicity test, thus decreasing the safety risk when they are applied to human skin. The finding in this study will facilitate the fabrication of high-performance biomimetic MXene active matrices, which are derived from natural biological materials, for flexible electronics.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 62174152, 61625404, and 61888102) and Foshan Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program (No. 2018IT100031).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Jinzi Sun, Hui Du & Zhaojun Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory for Superlattices and Microstructures, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jinzi Sun, Lili Wang & Guozhen Shen

  3. Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronic Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Lili Wang & Guozhen Shen

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  1. Jinzi Sun
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  2. Hui Du
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  3. Zhaojun Chen
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  4. Lili Wang
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  5. Guozhen Shen
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Zhaojun Chen, Lili Wang or Guozhen Shen.

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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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Sun, J., Du, H., Chen, Z. et al. MXene quantum dot within natural 3D watermelon peel matrix for biocompatible flexible sensing platform. Nano Res. 15, 3653–3659 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3967-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3967-x

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