Eggshell-Inspired High-Deformation Mxene Biocomposite for Flexible Device

Abstract

Natural biological materials are attractive candidates for flexible pressure sensing because of their naturally occurring hierarchical structures and other desirable features (such as low cost, natural structure, and biocompatibility) for flexible sensors. Inspired by the multilayered 3D interwoven fibrous network structure of the outer egg shell membrane (OESM), we proposed a facile dipping-coating process to convert it into a T3C2Tx MXene coated OESM (MX@OESM) film. Leveraging the unique structure inherited from the OESM, the MX@OESM film-based sensor exhibited high sensitivity (59 kPa-1) with a broad pressure range (up to 39.2 kPa), a subtle pressure detection limit (3.9 Pa), and excellent stability (over 5,000 cycles). Furthermore, the MX@OESM film demonstrated suitable good biocompatibility in cytotoxicity tests. Based on the combination of outstanding sensing performance with high biocompatibility, the MX@OESM film-based flexible pressure sensor demonstrates immense potential in human physiological monitoring, and promises applications for biomaterials in flexible sensing.

Keywords: Natural biological materials, MXene, Unique 3D structure, Flexible pressure sensor, Human physiological monitoring