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Vol. 18 (2026)

Electrochemically Enhanced Low-Impedance Ti3C2Tx MXene Epidermal Electrodes for Accurate Electrophysiological Monitoring

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02132-9
Liubing Fan
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Fangfang Gao
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Liangxu Xu
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Xiaochen Xun
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Shuchang Zhao
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Bing Yang
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Han Bi
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Xuan Zhao
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Qingliang Liao
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Yue Zhang
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Yue Zhang

yuezhang@ustb.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 297

Abstract

Accurate monitoring of electrophysiological signals through epidermal electrodes is crucial for advancing human–machine interfaces and wearable healthcare. While highly conductive materials are conventionally used as epidermal electrodes, their limited electrochemical performance results in high interfacial impedance and consequent signal distortion. Here, we present an electrochemically enhanced low-impedance Ti3C2Tx MXene epidermal electrode for accurate electrophysiological monitoring. The low interfacial impedance is achieved by producing and bridging large Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets. Large MXene nanosheets were prepared by combining precursor particle sedimentation with mild shear-assisted exfoliation. An orderly stacking structure was constructed through hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) crosslinking large MXene nanosheets to enhance electrochemical performance and flexibility. The epidermal electrodes were fabricated by bonding HEC/MXene film to poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate via in-situ curing. The MXene epidermal electrodes exhibit lower interfacial impedance (53 kΩ cm2 at 10 Hz) compared to standard Ag/AgCl gel electrodes (436 kΩ cm2 at 10 Hz). This reduction results in a 2.4-fold improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, enabling accurate electrophysiological monitoring. A miniature recording system is integrated with the epidermal electrodes to monitor electrophysiological signals in wearable scenes. Physiological applications have been validated in gesture recognition and health monitoring. Therefore, the electrochemically enhanced low-impedance MXene epidermal electrodes offer a reliable option for acquiring high-fidelity electrophysiological signals.


Highlights:
1 Large Ti3C2Tx MXene (~6.5 μm) was prepared through combined precursor particle sedimentation and mild shear-force-assisted delamination to enhance conductivity and capacitance.
2 The epidermal electrode with orderly stacking structure was constructed using hydrogen bonding crosslinking and in-situ curing, demonstrating lower interfacial impedance (53 kΩ cm2 at 10 Hz) and higher signal-to-noise (39 dB) compared to commercial Ag/AgCl gel electrode.
3 The portable recording system was integrated with the epidermal electrodes, enabling applications in muscular status and healthcare monitoring.

Keywords

Two-dimensional materials MXene Epidermal electrodes Electrophysiology Wearable healthcare
Fan, Liubing, Fangfang Gao, Liangxu Xu, Xiaochen Xun, Shuchang Zhao, Bing Yang, Han Bi, Xuan Zhao, Qingliang Liao, and Yue Zhang. 2026. “Electrochemically Enhanced Low-Impedance Ti3C2Tx MXene Epidermal Electrodes for Accurate Electrophysiological Monitoring”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (March):297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02132-9.
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