Multifunctional non-woven fabrics based on interfused MXene fibers

MXene-based fibers are expected to have the hopeful potential for manufacturing multifunctional fabrics with permeability, lightweight, remarkable electrical conductivity, and outstanding mechanical properties. However, the weak interaction between fibers limits the performance of the fabrics, and researchers are still seeking a suitable solution and easily scalable production methods. Here a green and novel wet-assembly approach is proposed for producing non-woven MXene fiber fabrics (MFFs) constructed by random-oriented and well-connected interfused MXene fibers. The as-prepared fabrics are porous and lightweight while exhibiting high electrical conductivity (708 S cm⁻¹). A maximum specific electrical conductivity is achieved with a relatively low density (0.24 g cm⁻³), even superior to individual MXene fibers. Moreover, the MFFs exhibit outstanding electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness of 75.0 dB at a thickness of 107 μm, exceptional Joule heating (up to 370 °C at a voltage of 3.5 V), and excellent photothermal conversion abilities, showing their great potential as high-performance and multifunctional fabrics in EMI shielding, wearable intelligent garments, and personal heating applications.