0D bio-based carbon dots and 2D MXene hybridization toward fabricating flame-retardant, conductive and sensing cellulose fabrics

With the rapid development of the smart era, there is an urgent need to replace traditional cellulosic textiles with flame retardant multifunctional cellulosic textiles. Herein, two novel multifunctional textiles (MXene@CDG-C/L and MXene@CDM-C/L) were obtained by constructing coatings consisting of MXene and bio-based carbon dot mixtures (CDG and CDM) on cellulosic fabrics using a one-pot impregnation method. MXene@CDG-C/L and MXene@CDM-C/L exhibited desirable flame retardancy, electrical conductivity and sensing properties due to the synergistic effect of MXene and carbon dot mixtures. In the vertical burning test, MXene@CDG-C/L and MXene@CDM-C/L showed self-extinguishing when the external ignition source was removed, with limiting oxygen index values increasing from 18.1 % of original fabric to 34.4 % and 36.0 %, respectively. Meanwhile, the conductivities of MXene@CDG-C/L and MXene@CDM-C/L were as high as 31.8 S m−1 and 21.4 S m−1, respectively. Notably, benefiting from the inherent flexibility of cellulose fabrics, MXene@CDG-C/L and MXene@CDM-C/L were able to monitor human movement in a stable and continuous manner. In addition, MXene@CDG-C/L and MXene@CDM-C/L retained good integration properties including flame retardancy, electrical conductivity and sensing property after 20 washing cycles. In conclusion, the strategy reported in this work provided a new idea for the development of environment-friendly and economical multifunctional smart textiles.