Patterned MXene-enabled switchable health monitoring and electromagnetic protection for architecture

Health monitoring of architectures and customization of electromagnetic (EM) radiation-free spaces are crucial for the transformation of future high-quality life, especially special life environments. Herein, a health monitored strain array and EM protective coating are obtained by tailoring the MXene composites, where electron transport plays an irreplaceable role in functional regulation. The EM response signal of the periodic patterned MXene is sensitive to the structural deformation of the array, and its sensitivity reaches 96 MHz/%. When the Ti3C2Tx composite serves as an EM coating, the shielding effect of the customized room is similar to 99.8%. The EM performance of the Ti3C2Tx composite can be switched between absorbing and shielding by tuning its electrical conductivity. The optimal EM absorption performance is up to -54.8 dB with the bandwidth over 3.02 GHz, and the average interference shielding performance surpass 30 dB with the contribution of absorption of 26.44 dB due to the high loss factor. This result provides a reference for the application of EM functional materials in the field of building, especially for the design of high-standard buildings such as hospitals, military bases, and kindergartens.

Automated summary

Tailoring MXene composites enables the development of a health monitored strain array and an electromagnetic (EM) protective coating for customization of future high-quality life, particularly in specialized environments. The periodic patterned MXene exhibits high sensitivity of 96 MHz/% to structural deformation in the array. Use of the Ti3C2Tx composite as an EM coating achieves a shielding effect similar to 99.8% for customized spaces. The electrical conductivity tuning enables the Ti3C2Tx composite to switch between absorbing and shielding, with optimal EM absorption performance of -54.8 dB and average interference shielding performance exceeding 30 dB.