Interlocked MXene/rGO aerogel with excellent mechanical stability for a health-monitoring device

Abstract

Abstract Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted considerable interest thanks to their unique electronic/physical–chemical characteristics and their potential for use in a large variety of sensing applications. However, few-layered nanosheets tend to agglomerate owing to van der Waals forces, which obstruct internal nanoscale transport channels, resulting in low electrochemical activity and restricting their use for sensing purposes. Here, a hybrid MXene/rGO aerogel with a three-dimensional (3D) interlocked network was fabricated via a freeze-drying method. The porous MXene/rGO aerogel has a lightweight and hierarchical porous architecture, which can be compressed and expanded several times without breaking. Additionally, a flexible pressure sensor that uses the aerogel as the sensitive layer has a wide response range of approximately 0–40 kPa and a considerable response within this range, averaging approximately 61.49 kPa–1. The excellent sensing performance endows it with a broad range of applications, including human-computer interfaces and human health monitoring.