Additive-Free MXene Liquid Crystals and Fibers

Liquid crystals (LCs) are thermodynamically stable mesophases that exhibit both liquid-like fluidity and crystal-like order. The discovery of LC phases in dispersions of two-dimensional (2D) materials has enabled the development of macroscopically aligned three-dimensional (3D) macrostructures. This chapter shows that the transition concentration from the isotropic to nematic phase is influenced by the aspect ratio of MXene flakes. It investigates how coagulation bath composition, MXene flake size, and nozzle size (needle gauge) influence the fiber formation process and the fiber properties. The formation of the nematic LC phase makes it possible to produce fibers from MXenes using a wet-spinning method. LC MXene fibers provide a novel platform to investigate their potential applications as energy storage electrodes in functional fabrics and heating elements in thermal comfort fabrics since they offer excellent electrical and electrochemical properties, surpassing other nanomaterial-based fibers.