Development of a Highly Flexible Composite Electrode Comprised of Ti₃C₂-Based MXene Nanosheets and Ag Nanoparticles

To fabricate electrodes for use in flexible electronic devices with improved resistance to the mechanical stresses induced by repeated bending, we developed a highly flexible and conductive composite comprised of Ti₃C₂-based MXene nanosheets and Ag nanoparticles. Specifically, we synthesized Ti₃C₂-based MXene nanosheets and added them as a second filler to an Ag dispersion to fabricate Ag–MXene composite paste. Although the synthesized MXene nanosheets are somewhat less electrically conductive than pure Ag nanoparticles, the conductivity of the pattern formed by printing this composite paste was comparable to that of pure Ag nanoparticle-based electrode. Moreover, resistance in the resulting electrode remained fairly constant despite repeated bending employing a curvature radius of 2 mm. We attribute this to the presence of the MXene nanosheets, whose homogeneously distributed hydroxyl or oxygen terminate surface functional groups prevented or delayed the propagation of cracks inside the printed pattern despite repeated bending. Graphic Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].