Self-Cleaning MXene/Bacterial Cellulose Composite Film for Photothermal Actuation and Sterilization

In this study, a multifunctional MXene composite film has been developed with self-cleaning, photothermal actuation, and photothermal sterilization capabilities, making it a promising photothermal actuator. The research begins by making Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets superhydrophobic and enhancing their ambient stability using a mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) coating, electroless Ag metallization, and a hydrophobic 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecanethiol (PFDT) coating. A versatile MXene composite film is created by combining superhydrophobic Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets with bacterial cellulose (BC) using a vacuum filtration process. This MXene composite film demonstrates a water-repellent surface with an impressive water contact angle (WCA) of 152.3 ± 1.4°, highlighting its exceptional self-cleaning capability, liquid-repellent ability, and long-lasting stability. Moreover, it displays efficient photothermal conversion performance and stability by raising surface temperature to over 120 °C when exposed to NIR light. Furthermore, the integration of superhydrophobicity and photothermal conversion capability enables precise photothermal actuation in both linear and rotational modes. This allows for movement on water surface in various modes as well as the completion of surface cargo transportation driven by NIR light irradiation. Additionally, it also exhibits excellent photothermal sterilization capabilities due to its superhydrophobicity and photothermal conversion capacity. Therefore, this research offers valuable insights for advancing MXene-based actuators with significant potential in the fields of soft robotics, wearable electronics, biomedicine, and beyond.