Skin-mountable
and transparent devices are highly desired for next-generation
electronic applications but are susceptible to unexpected ruptures
or undesired scratches, which can drastically reduce the device lifetime.
Developing wearable and transparent materials with healable function
that can recover their original functionality after mechanical damage
under mild and noninvasive repairing operation is thus imperative.
Herein, we demonstrate that the incorporation of ultrasmall quantities
of plasmonic silver nanoparticle (AgNP)@MXene nanosheet hybrids to
serve as photothermal fillers in waterborne elastic polyurethane enables
high transparency as well as effective light-triggered healing capabilities
for wearable composite coatings. The AgNP@MXene hybrid functions as
a highly effective photon captor, energy transformer, and molecular
heater due to the amalgamation of (1) ultrahigh photothermal conversion
efficiency, high thermal conductivity, and structural properties of
MXene, (2) the outstanding plasmonic effect of AgNPs, and (3) the
synergistic effects from their hybrids. The resulting wearable composite
coating with ultralow loading of plasmonic AgNP@MXene hybrids (0.08
wt % or 0.024 vol %) can produce a significant temperature increase
of ∼111 ± 2.6 °C after the application of 600 mW
cm–2 light irradiation for 5 min, while maintaining
a high optical transmittance of ∼83% at a thickness of ∼60
μm. This local temperature increase can rapidly heal the mechanical
damage to the composite coating, with a healing efficiency above 97%.
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