High-performance MXene/polyaniline-coated cotton fabrics: Advanced Joule heating wearable heaters with strain sensing capability

The growing demand for flexible and efficient thermal management solutions has driven the development of advanced Joule heating textiles with multifunctional capabilities. This study introduces a novel dual-functional MXene/polyaniline-coated cotton woven fabric designed for both efficient Joule heating and wearable strain sensing applications. Polyaniline was deposited onto cotton fabrics via in-situ chemical polymerization, followed by MXene nanosheets coating through a dip-coating process. The structural, electrical, and electrothermal properties of the fabricated polyaniline/cotton, MXene/cotton with varying coating cycles, and MXene/polyaniline cotton fabrics were thoroughly evaluated. The results demonstrated that increasing the MXene coating cycles significantly reduced the surface resistance, with the polyaniline-coated fabric featuring two MXene layers achieving an ultra-low resistance of 11.9 ± 1.2 Ω/sq. The MXene/polyaniline fabric exhibited exceptional Joule heating performance, reaching 66.2 °C at 5 V and exceeding 230 °C at 15 V within 40 seconds, outperforming many previously reported materials. Furthermore, the sample displayed remarkable durability and stability in its generated temperature. The strain-sensing capability of these fabrics was also investigated, revealing a negative resistance response to strain, enabling effective detection of human motion.These findings highlight the potential of MXene/polyaniline textiles as next-generation wearable electronics, with applications in personal thermal management, thermal therapy, de-icing, and real-time motion monitoring. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.