Ultrastrong Graphene Sheets Assembled with Nanoconfined Water

Highly ordered assembly of two-dimensional (2D) nanoplatelets plays a key role in enhancing the mechanical properties of layered nanocomposites. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly, vacuum-assisted filtration, and blade coating have been used to fabricate layered nanocomposites. However, the intrinsic wrinkles of 2D nanoplatelets and defects derived from assembling approaches make it difficult to align 2D nanoplatelets. Recently, the team of Prof. Qunfeng Cheng at Beihang University and their collaborator, Prof. Ray H. Baughman at the University of Texas at Dallas developed a novel approach for aligning graphene and Ti₃C₂T_x MXene nanoplatelets by nanoconfined assembly through continuous vacuum-assisted filtration. The resultant MXene-bridged sheet has ultrastrong mechanical properties and low porosity, providing a new concept for assembling 2D nanoplatelets into aligned and compact high-performance layered nanocomposites.