Flexible Two-Dimensional Ti3C2 MXene Films as Thermoacoustic Devices

MXenes have attracted great attention for their potential applications in electrochemical and electronic devices due to their excellent characteristics. Traditional sound sources based on the thermoacoustic effect demonstrated that a conductor needs to have an extremely low heat capacity and high thermal conductivity. Hence, a thin MXene film with a low heat capacity per unit area (HCPUA) and special layered structure is emerging as a promising candidate to build loudspeakers. However, the use of MXenes in a sound source device has not been explored. Herein, we have successfully prepared sound source devices on an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and a flexible polyimide (PI) substrates by using the prepared Ti3C2 MXene nanoflakes. Due to the larger interlayer distance of MXene, the MXene-based sound source device has a higher sound pressure level (SPL) than that of graphene of the same thickness. High-quality Ti3C2 MXene nanoflakes were fabricated by selectively etching the Ti3AlC2 powder. The as-fabricated MXene sound source device on an AAO substrate exhibits a higher SPL of 68.2 dB (f = 15 kHz) and has a very stable sound spectrum output with frequency varying from 100 Hz to 20 kHz. A theoretical model has been built to explain the mechanism of the sound source device on an AAO substrate, matching well with the experimental results. Furthermore, the MXene sound source device based on a flexible PI substrate has been attached to the arms, back of the hand, and fingers, indicating an excellent acoustic wearability. Then, the MXene film is packaged successfully into a commercial earphone case and shows an excellent performance at high frequencies, which is very suitable for human audio equipment.