Multifunctional Design and Experimental Characterization of MXene-decorated Composite Fabrics

In modern complex and dynamic battlefield environments, personnel and equipment are exposed to the threats such as extreme cold, electromagnetic radiation, and bullet impacts. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop the lightweight and portable multifunctional protective materials. While the existing research explores multifunctional textiles, the physical integration of single-function materials exacerbates mass and cost issues. MS-Twaron multifunctional protective material is made by using MXene materials as the functional layer and aramid fibers (Twaron) as the base material with silicone gel as a surface waterproof layer. The contact angle test, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding test, flame retardant test, ballistic test, and photo-thermal experiment are made on MS-Twaron. The results indicate that: 1) Compared to the hydrophilic material Twaron (water contact angle of 29.7°), MS-Twaron exhibits the excellent hydrophobic properties (water contact angle of 112.3°); 2) Compared to Twaron which exhibits no EMI properties, MS-Twaron with MXene mass fraction of 8.61 shows an improved EMI properties in X-band, ranging from 13.490 dB to 14.969 dB; 3) Compared to Twaron, MS-Twaron exhibits a 5.0 s increase in afterglow time, a 3.5 s reduction in glowing time, and a 5.3 mm decrease in average char length. MS-Twaron has impact resistant properties of which the ballistic indentation depth is 6.12 mm smaller than that of Twaron. The surface temperature of MS-Twaron can achieve up to 50.22 °C under natural light (light intensity of 100.3×10³ LUX), 39.58 °C under incandescent light (100 W, 30 cm), and 97.18 °C under infrared light (375 W, 40 cm). With its integration of lightweight, photothermal and EMI properties, MS-Twaron offers design insights for the next-generation multifunctional protective equipment.