Robust Bioinspired MXene–Hemicellulose Composite Films with Excellent Electrical Conductivity for Multifunctional Electrode Applications

MXene-based structural materials with high mechanical robustness and excellent electrical conductivity are highly desirable for multifunctional applications. The incorporation of macromolecular polymers has been verified to be beneficial to alleviate the mechanical brittleness of pristine MXene films. However, the intercalation of a large amount of insulating macromolecules inevitably compromises their electrical conductivity. Inspired by wood, short-chained hemicellulose (xylo-oligosaccharide) acts as a molecular binder to bind adjacent MXene nanosheets together; this work shows that this can significantly enhance the mechanical properties without introducing a large number of insulating phases. As a result, MXene-hemicellulose films can integrate a high electrical conductivity (64,300 S m