One-Step Synthesis of Robust 2D Ti₃C₂-MXene/AuNPs Nanocomposite by Electrostatic Self-Assembly for (Bio)Sensing

Abstract

In this study, we present a single-step approach for the synthesis of Ti3C2 MXene and gold nanoparticle (AuNP) composites via electrostatic self-assembly. The surface of the AuNPs was modified to induce a positive charge using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which enabled effective electrostatic interactions with negatively charged MXene sheets. The successful synthesis of the MX-AuNP composite was confirmed using UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In conclusion, our single-step synthesis method offers a sustainable platform for producing MXene-AuNP composites with enhanced properties. This approach can be extended to other metal nanoparticles and holds great promise for a wide range of applications, particularly in biosensing and nanomaterial-based technologies.

Keywords

• Ti₃C₂ MXene
• Positively charged gold nanoparticles
• nanocomposite
• MXene@AuNPs
• electrostatic self-assembly