Electromechanically Actuated MXene Nanotubes for Tunable Mass Transport

Developing stimuli-responsive nanochannels for tunable mass transport has attracted considerable attention. Herein, we investigate the electromechanical actuation of Sc₂C MXene nanotubes (MNTs) that can be rolled from planar Sc₂C and the application of the electromechanically actuated MNTs for tunable mass transport. Our results demonstrate that the maximum radial actuation strain is as high as 26.8% for MNTs upon charge injection while maintaining sufficient structural integrity. The underlying mechanism behind this high actuation performance of MNTs and planar Sc₂C is revealed by atomic- and electronic-scale analyses. Finally, we probe the transport behaviors of a molecule test case (neopentane, C₅H₁₂) passing through electromechanically actuated MNTs and demonstrate that the tunability of sieving diameters endows MNTs with the capability of tunable mass transport. These findings provide a feasible solution for the development of tunable nanochannels.