MXene Composite Nanofibers for Cell Culture and Tissue Engineering

MXenes are very promising emerging materials for diverse applications because of their outstanding properties. However, the effect of MXene on cell growth and differentiation had barely been studied. Here, we fabricated titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂) MXene composite nanofibers as smart biomaterials for cell culture and tissue engineering. The composite nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning and doping and displayed excellent hydrophilicity because of a large number of introduced functional hydrophilic groups. The nanosurface and functional groups of MXene composite nanofibers provide a good microenvironment for cellular growth. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were applied to assess their biochemical properties. The cell test outcome demonstrated that the obtained MXene composite nanofibers had good biocompatibility and greatly improved cellular activity. These composite nanofibers enhanced BMSC's differentiation to osteoblasts. The excellent biocompatibility combined with the nanoeffect of MXene suggested that this novel class of biomaterials has the potential to bridge the translational gap in materials sciences and stem cell-based tissue therapies and future multitask biomedical therapies based on MXene's unique advantages.