Nacre-inspired MMT-MXene integrated shear-stiffening gel composites for personal safeguard and multi-functional electronics

Author：Li, Z. M., Wang, S., Wang, W. H., Wu, J. P., Zhang, Z. T., Li, D. Y., Yang, J. Y., Zhang, J. S., Wang, Y., Gong, X. L.

Journal：Composites Part B-Engineering

DOI:  10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111526

Keywords: A. Smart materials, B. Impact behaviour, B. Rheological properties, C. Finite element analysis (FEA), Engineering, Materials Science

Abstract: 

Developing structural composites with high energy -dissipating performance was vital for advancing personal protective equipment. Here, a nacre -mimetic composite with anti -impact, force -sensing and thermal -regulating capacities was developed by introducing shear -stiffening gel (SSG) into montmorillonite (MMT)-MXene hierarchical network. A 4 mm -thick SSG-MMT-MXene (SMM) composite effectively reduced the impact force from 1308.1 N to 370.4 N, which was superior to many engineering materials. SMM implemented significant improvement of both structural stability and environmental adaptability. In addition, its Delta R/R0 increased from 230.3 % to 14608.6 % under falling impact from 26.4 N to 679.6 N, indicating SMM's potential as an electronic skin for environmental monitoring. Besides, its temperature reached 110.4 degrees C at 9 V loading -voltage and remained stable during multiple loading -unloading stimuli. Eventually, an SMM-based customizable intelligent protector was developed, enabling the detection of environmental variations and providing protection against mechanical impact and cold conditions. This bio-mimetic strategy showed promising applications in lightweight body -armor and wearable electronics.