In situ assemble Ti3C2Tx MXene@MgAl-LDH heterostructure towards anticorrosion and antiwear application

Despite two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXene as a promising candidate in enhancing the anticorrosion and antiwear abilities of epoxy coating, its natural restacking tendency seriously impedes the real-world application of Ti3C2Tx/epoxy composite coating. Hence, Ti3C2Tx MXene@MgAl-LDH heterostructure composites are obtained by in situ assembly through electrostatic interaction. The interaction between Ti3C2Tx MXene and MgAl-LDH is investigated by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT), confirming Ti3C2Tx MXene@MgAl-LDH heterostructure with favorable binding stability. More importantly, Ti3C2Tx MXene@MgAl-LDH achieves excellent dispersibility and compatibility with epoxy resin. As-prepared Ti3C2Tx MXene@MgAl-LDH/epoxy coating (C-MXene@LDH) exhibits satisfactory corrosion/wear protection and certain self-healing performance, owing to the synergy of good dispersibility, barrier effect and the corrosion inhibitor release of Ti3C2Tx MXene@MgAl-LDH. This work is of great significance for MXene-based heterostructure composites to take a giant step forward in anticorrosion and antiwear application.