Page 153 - Read Online

Zheng et al. Soft Sci. 2026, 6, 32 Page 43 of 57

In conclusion, because of their exceptional mechanical flexibility, customizable surface chemistry, and high
conductivity, MXene-based conductive fibers have become a key component for building next-generation
multifunctional smart textiles. MXene fibers have advanced beyond simple conductivity to incorporate
sensing, power delivery, thermal management, and electromagnetic shielding systems through scalable
fabrication techniques like hydrospinning, coating, and electrospinning in conjunction with complex
structural designs like multilayers, core-shell configurations, and spirals. This illustrates how widely they can
be used in smart textiles. The fibers’ electrochemical performance, sensing sensitivity, heating efficiency, and
electromagnetic shielding efficacy have all been significantly improved, clearly exhibiting their useful
potential in wearable electronics. However, a number of crucial issues must be methodically resolved in
order to move from laboratory prototypes to scalable, commercial products: long-term stability under
challenging usage conditions (such as oxidation resistance and wash durability), process consistency and
controllability in large-scale continuous production, performance optimization during multifunctional
integration, and compatibility with current textile manufacturing processes. In order to further explore novel
application models in cutting-edge situations like biomedical interfaces and human-machine interaction
integration, future research should concentrate on integrated co-design spanning materials, structures,
devices, and systems. This will propel the ongoing development of MXene-based smart textiles toward
increased wearability, dependability, and usefulness.

Textile processing adaptability
Even though graphene and MXene-based fibers have made great strides in their inherent mechanical,
electrical, and electrochemical qualities, their successful incorporation into commercial smart textiles
ultimately depends on a feature that is less talked about but just as important: textile processing adaptability.
This includes the fiber’s ability to maintain its functional qualities while withstanding mechanical, thermal,
and chemical stressors that are encountered during standard textile manufacturing processes, including
knitting, weaving, braiding, washing, and finishing. We suggest a multifaceted assessment framework built
on four pillars: (i) spinnability and weavability; (ii) flexibility and bendability; (iii) mechanical robustness
under cyclic deformation; and (iv) post-treatment compatibility, in order to close the gap between
laboratory-scale fiber innovation and industrial-scale textile manufacturing. With a focus on the existing
state and upcoming difficulties for graphene and MXene fibers, Table 4 provides a summary of this approach
by mapping evaluation metrics to relevant empirical situations from the literature review.

GRAPHENE AND MXENE HYBRID FIBERS
Even though conductive fibers based on graphene and MXene exhibit notable benefits like high conductivity,
exceptional mechanical flexibility, and integrability in flexible electronics and smart textiles, offering an
essential material foundation for building multifunctional wearable systems, they still face a number of
significant obstacles in moving from lab research to large-scale, real-world applications. Ensuring long-term
environmental stability, creating scalable and consistent fabrication methods, balancing and improving
material properties, and guaranteeing system-level integration compatibility are the main issues. Notably,
recent research shows that it is feasible to balance the mechanical characteristics and electrical conductivity
of fibers while also giving them exceptional electrochemical energy storage capabilities, extreme
environmental adaptability, and multifunctional responsiveness through sensible composite and
hybridization strategies. These composite fibers offer a practical material basis for next-generation
high-performance, multi-integrated smart textile systems, greatly extending the application boundaries of
smart textiles while preserving flexibility and wearability.

Crucial techniques
The key to building graphene and MXene-based composite fibers is to use multi-component and multi-scale
synergistic design to overcome the limitations of individual materials, such as mechanical strength, electrical
conductivity, and environmental stability, in order to achieve performance optimization and integration.
Interfacial engineering and careful structural design are the main tactics used nowadays.