Enhanced stability of Ti3C2Tx MXene enabled by continuous ZIF-8 coating

MXenes have recently attracted significant interest owing to their outstanding properties and performance. However, their hydrophilic and metastable surfaces make most MXenes prone to oxidation, which can greatly degrade their properties and hinder their practical applications. Here, we enhanced the stability of Ti3C2Tx MXene films by coating a continuous zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) layer. The high-density oxygen functional groups of MXene, which are crucial for inducing the nucleation of ZIF-8 crystals, were merged into a continuous layer on the MXene surface. 98% of the original electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of ZIF-8/Ti3C2Tx MXene was retained even after 4 days of harsh oxidation treatment at 85 °C and 85% RH. The enhanced stability could be attributed to the hydrophobic microporous structure of ZIF-8, which effectively hindered the permeation of water molecules in addition to terminating the dangling bonds of MXene with Zn ions.