Strong sequentially bridged MXene sheets

Significance The obstacles limiting the practical applications of promising titanium carbide MXene macroscopic sheets are poor mechanical and oxidation-resistant properties. Herein, we demonstrate strong and highly electrically conductive MXene sheets through sequential bridging of hydrogen and ionic bonding, also achieving high shielding efficiency and excellent fatigue and oxidation resistance. The synergistic strengthening and toughening mechanism was thoroughly revealed by experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. The proposed sequential bridging strategy in this article provides an avenue for assembling high-performance MXene materials having potential applications in flexible electronic devices and aerospace in the near future.