Stability of Ti3C2T x MXene Films and Devices under Clinical Sterilization Processes

MXenes are being heavily investigatedin biomedical research,withapplications ranging from regenerative medicine to bioelectronics.To enable the adoption and integration of MXenes into therapeuticplatforms and devices, however, their stability under standard sterilizationprocedures must be established. Here, we present a comprehensive investigationof the electrical, chemical, structural, and mechanical effects ofcommon thermal (autoclave) and chemical (ethylene oxide (EtO) andH(2)O(2) gas plasma) sterilization protocols onboth thin-film Ti3C2T x MXene microelectrodes and mesoscale arrays made from Ti3C2T x -infused cellulose-elastomercomposites. We also evaluate the effectiveness of the sterilizationprocesses in eliminating all pathogens from the Ti3C2T x films and composites. Post-sterilizationanalysis revealed that autoclave and EtO did not alter the DC conductivity,electrochemical impedance, surface morphology, or crystallographicstructure of Ti3C2T x and were both effective at eliminating E. coli fromboth types of Ti3C2T x -based devices. On the other end, exposure to H2O2 gas plasma sterilization for 45 min induced severe degradationof the structure and properties of Ti3C2T x films and composites. The stability of theTi(3)C(2)T( x ) after EtOand autoclave sterilization and the complete removal of pathogensestablish the viability of both sterilization processes for Ti3C2T x -based technologies.