Deformation of and Interfacial Stress Transfer in Ti₃C₂ MXene–Polymer Composites

Abstract

Transitional metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) have promise for incorporation into multifunctional composites due to their high electrical conductivity and excellent mechanical and tribological properties. It is unclear, however, to what extent MXenes are also able to improve the mechanical properties of the composites and, if so, what would be the optimal flake size and morphology. Herein, Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene is demonstrated to be indeed a good candidate for mechanical reinforcement in polymer matrices. In the present work, the strain-induced Raman band shifts of mono-/few-/multilayer MXenes flakes have been used to study the mechanical properties of MXene and the interlayer/interfacial stress transfer on a polymer substrate. The mechanical performance of MXene was found to be less dependent upon flake thickness compared to that of graphene. This enables Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene to offer an efficient mechanical reinforcement to a polymer matrix with a flake length of >10 μm and a thickness of 10s of nanometers. Therefore, the degree of exfoliation of MXenes is not as demanding as other two-dimensional (2D) materials for the purpose of mechanical enhancement in polymers. In addition, the active surface chemistry of MXene facilitates possible functionalization to enable a stronger interface with polymers for applications, such as strain engineering and mechanical enhancement, and in materials including membranes, coatings, and textiles.

Controlling and Monitoring Crack Propagation in Monolayer Graphene Single Crystals

“…[ 59 ] Recently, its potential has been extended to MXenes where the deformation of Ti 3 C 2 T x in a polymer composite has been followed. [ 60 ]…”

Engineering Photo-Cross-Linkable MXene-Based Hydrogels: Durable Conductive Biomaterials for Electroactive Tissues and Interfaces

“…The results of XRD analysis (Figure b) also reveal that the layer spacing of the etched MX phase is ∼10 Å, which indicates Li + intercalation between the MX layers during the etching process. − The intercalation of Li + ions forms accordion-like structures with increased interlayer spacing architecture . The subsequent sonication process is associated with layer delamination, which is highly desirable for the fabrication of high-performance nanocomposites . UV–vis spectroscopy showed absorption peaks at 225, 275, and 800 nm (Figure f), corresponding to the interband transition and transversal SP mode of the MX phase. , This observation further affirms the successful synthesis of the 2D nanostructure but highlights the effect of MX on the photocuring of the hydrogel, as will be discussed in the next sections.…”

Probing Interfacial Interactions in Ternary Nanocomposites of Ti3C2Tx MXene Nanoplatelets, Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes, and Poly(vinyl alcohol) toward Synergistic Reinforcement

“…For carbon nanotubes, the reported reference downshift rate in the G band was about 30 cm –1 /% . For Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene, the effective modulus, E eff , can be derived from the following equation as E eff = normald ω normalA 1 normalg normald ε E normalf false( normald ω normalA 1 normalg / normald ε false) ref where dω A1g /dε is the shift rate of the Ti 3 C 2 T x Raman A 1g mode with strain, the reference shift rate value is taken as −3.7 cm –1 /% …”

“…51 For Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene, the effective modulus, E eff , can be derived from the following equation as where dω A1g /dε is the shift rate of the Ti 3 C 2 T x Raman A 1g mode with strain, the reference shift rate value is taken as −3.7 cm −1 /%. 52 For the 1.2 wt % f-CNT/PVA nanocomposite, the effective modulus of carbon nanotubes was determined to be 80 GPa; for the 1.2 wt % Ti 3 C 2 T x /PVA nanocomposite, the effective Young's modulus of Ti 3 C 2 T x was determined to be 162.8 GPa. In contrast, the effective Young's moduli of carbon nanotubes and Ti 3 C 2 T x were determined to be 146.7 and 352.8 GPa, respectively, for 1.2 wt % Ti 3 C 2 T x /f-CNT/PVA nanocomposites.…”