Ti3C2Tx MXene Composite with Much Improved Stability for Superior Humidity Sensors

Longhui Dai; Huimin Yu; Yunkai Wang; Xuyang Zhang; Fang Xu; Xiaofang Pan; Jing-Ting Luo; Aihua Zhong

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c04107

Ti₃C₂T_x MXene Composite with Much Improved Stability for Superior Humidity Sensors

Langmuir. 2025 Jan 7. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c04107. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Longhui Dai¹, Huimin Yu², Yunkai Wang¹, Xuyang Zhang¹, Fang Xu³, Xiaofang Pan⁴, Jing-Ting Luo^{1

5}, Aihua Zhong^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, P.R. China.
² College of Equipment Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110159, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Ultraintense Laser and Advanced Material Technology, College of Engineering Physics, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen 518118, China.
⁴ College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, P.R. China.
⁵ Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, P.R. China.

PMID: 39772788
DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c04107

Abstract

MXenes have attracted tremendous attention in electromagnetic interference shielding, energy storage, and gas and humidity detections because of their ultralarge surface area and abundant functional groups. However, their poor stability against hydration and oxidation makes them challenging for long-term storage and applications. Herein, we proposed and demonstrated a Ti₃C₂T_x MXene composite-based humidity sensor, of which the stability is pronouncedly enhanced by introducing an O₂ adsorption competitor of extracted bentonite (EB). All the results of TEM, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy show that the oxidation of the Ti₃C₂T_x MXene is significantly suppressed by the introduction of EB. Its excellent performance in humidity detection further confirms the effectiveness of EB in improving the stability. An ultrahigh response value of 6400% and an ultrafast response time of 1 s at 85% RH are observed, suggesting promising prospects for superior humidity detection of the Ti₃C₂T_x MXene composite. Furthermore, its feasibility for flexible humidity detection was also examined on a PET substrate, which exhibited high flexibility and excellent discrimination in speaking words.