The 2D Ti₃C₂T_X MXene-enabled self-cleaning and self-sterilizing lacquer coatings for offset printing

Microbiologically contaminated surfaces pose a severe threat to human health. Antibacterial coatings that effectively destroy pathogens in-situ under ambient conditions are candidates to overcome this issue. In this work, we report self-sterilizing lacquer coatings enabled by the addition of novel 2D Ti3C2TX MXene, showing excellent photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties. The prepared facile MXene-enriched formulations based on air-drying and UV-curable lacquer dispersions were used to coat the opaque plastic sheets. The Ti3C2TX MXene content was optimized to ensure a minimal agglomeration of flakes in a lacquer coating, as validated by stability, morphology, and structure analyses. We confirmed the uniform distribution of 2D Ti3C2TX MXene in the coatings with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping. Superior optical properties of the protective lacquer coatings, added with efficient light absorption, enabled their self-cleaning from the adsorbed methylene blue coloring contaminant. This photocatalytic activity was further utilized for antimicrobial action. Under dark conditions, the protective lacquer coatings showed biostatic properties while in simulated daylight conditions, they were self-sterilizing against potentially pathogenic model bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Altogether, our findings gave promise for using MXenes in daily life applications.