Journal article
Additive-Free MXene Liquid Crystals and Fibers
ACS central science, v 6(2), pp 254-265
26 Feb 2020
PMID: 32123744
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The discovery of liquid crystalline (LC) phases in dispersions of two-dimensional (2D) materials has enabled the development of macroscopically aligned three-dimensional (3D) macrostructures. Here, we report the first experimental observation of self-assembled LC phases in aqueous Ti3C2T x MXene inks without using LC additives, binders, or stabilizing agents. We show that the transition concentration from the isotropic to nematic phase is influenced by the aspect ratio of MXene flakes. The formation of the nematic LC phase makes it possible to produce fibers from MXenes using a wet-spinning method. By changing the Ti3C2T x flake size in the ink formulation, coagulation bath, and spinning parameters, we control the morphology of the MXene fibers. The wet-spun Ti3C2T x fibers show a high electrical conductivity of ∼7750 S cm–1, surpassing existing nanomaterial-based fibers. A high volumetric capacitance of ∼1265 F cm–3 makes Ti3C2T x fibers promising for fiber-shaped supercapacitor devices. We also show that Ti3C2T x fibers can be used as heaters. Notably, the nematic LC phase can be achieved in other MXenes (Mo2Ti2C3T x and Ti2CT x ) and in various organic solvents, suggesting the widespread LC behavior of MXene inks.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Additive-Free MXene Liquid Crystals and Fibers
- Creators
- Jizhen Zhang - Institute for Frontier MaterialsSimge Uzun - A. J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Department of Materials Science and EngineeringShayan Seyedin - Imperial College London, White City CampusPeter A Lynch - Institute for Frontier MaterialsBilen Akuzum - Electrochemical Energy Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering and MechanicsZhiyu Wang - Institute for Frontier MaterialsSi Qin - Institute for Frontier MaterialsMohamed Alhabeb - A. J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Department of Materials Science and EngineeringChristopher E Shuck - A. J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Department of Materials Science and EngineeringWeiwei Lei - Institute for Frontier MaterialsE. Caglan Kumbur - Electrochemical Energy Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering and MechanicsWenrong Yang - School of Life and Environmental SciencesXungai Wang - Institute for Frontier MaterialsGenevieve Dion - Center for Functional FabricsJoselito M Razal - Institute for Frontier MaterialsYury Gogotsi - A. J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Publication Details
- ACS central science, v 6(2), pp 254-265
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society; Washington, DC
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Fashion Design; Materials Science and Engineering; Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000517832800021
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85079658567
- Other Identifier
- 991014877780104721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
Highly Cited Paper
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Chemistry, Multidisciplinary