Mxene and Conjugated Polymer-Based Hybrid Systems for Electronic Biosensing

Among the existing two-dimensional materials, MXenes stand out for their excellent electrochemical properties. MXene-based inks and films hold great potential for the scalable production of skin-conformable electronics and for constructing electronic sensors and actuators that operate in physiological media. On the other hand, conjugated polymer films, due to their softness and conformability, enable seamless interfacing with the skin and cells. In this talk, I will demonstrate how the combination of soft conducting polymers and printed MXene electrodes brings together the best of both worlds for biointerfacing. The functionalized MXene films serve as multifunctional biosensing units for cation and protein sensing, as well as for capturing physiological signals. Conducting polymers act as both substrates and interconnects. In another platform, the incorporation of MXene as a co-dopant in a conjugated polymer structure results in hybrid films with remarkably high volumetric capacitance and stability. These microfabricated hybrid devices outperform their single-component counterparts in chronic biochemical sensing and stimulation applications. Our findings illustrate how MXene films can streamline the fabrication of next-generation bioelectronic platforms incorporating multimodal sensors.