MXene-Polymer Hybrid for High-Performance Gas Sensor Prepared by Microwave-Assisted In-Situ Intercalation

Abstract

2D transition-metal carbides (Ti3C2Tx MXene) intercalated with organic molecules have been widely used in batteries and supercapacitors, but are quite rarely reported for gas sensing. Since Ti3C2Tx is sensitive to oxygen, most methods for preparing the intercalated Ti3C2Tx involve stirring the reactants with Ti3C2Tx for several hours under nitrogen protection. Herein, a method to prepare a hybrid of Ti3C2Tx and intercalated polysquaraine through microwave-assisted in situ polymerization that takes only a few minutes without the need of using a protective atmosphere is demonstrated. Owing to the increased interlayer space of the Ti3C2Tx after the polymerization, the gas sensors based on the hybrid exhibit a good sensing performance for NH3 detection, being able to detect at least 500 ppb NH3 with a 2.2% ppm−1 of sensitivity. This study provides a facile preparation method for developing intercalated MXenes, which are expected to be useful for a wide range of applications.