Preparation, structure, property and application of MXene in fabricating functional and intelligent textiles: A comprehensive review

Abstract

MXene possesses unique adjustable multi-scale structure, large specific surface area, lamellar structure, etc., which impart it and its composite materials some wonderful properties and characteristics, such as high conductivity, low emissivity, flexible and light. Thus, it exhibits broad prospective applications in functional and intelligent textiles. Moreover, different preparation methodologies and various chemical and physical structures particularly with surface functional groups of MXene usually play a crucial role in regulating its properties and applications in manufacturing of advanced intelligent textiles. Therefore, this comprehensive review work systematically summarizes some recent advances in all the preparation methodologies especially for some green and sustainable synthesis methods, and then in the structures and the corresponding properties of MXene. Particularly, the influences of different preparation methods on etching efficiency, surface functional groups, layer number and layer size of MXene are concluded and discussed, Then some new progresses in its applications in producing smart and functional textiles were also introduced, such as the researches on MXene-based conductive fibers, yarns and fabrics for sensors, capacitors, as well as for textiles with the characteristics of electromagnetic shielding, microwave absorption, thermal management and infrared stealth, etc. This comprehensive review provides a systematical and new inspiration in the preparation, characterization, the knowledge about the relationship between its structure and property, and the advanced application of MXene and its based materials in the field of flexible, multifunctional and intelligent textiles.