Versatile Ti3C2Tx MXene for free-radical scavenging

MXene, as an emerging two-dimensional (2D) material with ultrathin structure and fascinating physiochemical properties, has been widely explored in broad applications. Versatile functions of MXenes are continuously explored. This work presents distinctive feature of MXene-Ti3C2T x nanosheets for free-radical (FRs) scavenging that never reported before. We demonstrated the mechanism and equation in regard to the reaction between Ti3C2T x and H2O2, which was applied to design colorimetric H2O2 strip assay with good performance. The good FRs scavenging capability of Ti3C2T x , including a series of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), was systemically confirmed. The antioxidation capability of Ti3C2T x for protecting cells from oxidative damage was demonstrated using the oxidative damage model of alpha mouse liver 12 (AML-12) cells. This original work provides huge opportunities for MXenes in FR-related biomedical applications.Supplementary material (further details of the experimental procedures, investigation of the reaction between Ti3C2T x and other oxidants, the characterization of endocytosis of cells for Ti3C2T x , and the comparison of different antioxidants for scavenging free radicals) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12274-021-3751-y.