With the rapid advancement of electronic skin and wearable health-monitoring technologies, flexible sensors are evolving from single-parameter detection towards the synergistic sensing of multiple parameters, such as temperature, pressure, and physiological signals. Conventional multi-parameter devices typically require the integration of distinct sensing units alongside independent electrodes and signal transmission lines; this often results in complex device architectures, cumbersome manufacturing processes, and limited system integration. In contrast, functional materials exhibiting both thermoelectric and piezoresistive effects can independently distinguish between temperature and pressure by utilising voltage changes induced by temperature gradients and resistance changes caused by external forces, respectively, offering the potential to simplify device structures while enhancing multi-parameter sensing capabilities.
Recently, a team by Professor Peng-An Zong at Nanjing Tech University fabricated Mo 2 TiC 2 T x /TaS 2 van der Waals heterostructure films. The TaS 2 nanosheets form conductive bridges and facilitate interfacial charge-carrier transport, thereby boosting electrical conductivity and the power factor to 878.3 S·cm −1 and 14.4 μW·m −1 ·K −2 , respectively, while increasing electromagnetic shielding effectiveness from 14.1 dB to 40.6 dB. This material integrates dual-mode temperature and pressure sensing, photothermoelectric response, and electromagnetic shielding, offering a novel material solution for wearable devices that combine health monitoring with electromagnetic protection.
The team published their work in Journal of Advanced Ceramics on October 8, 2026.
“In this report, we fabricated flexible Mo 2 TiC 2 T x /TaS 2 van der Waals heterostructure films by combining intercalation-exfoliation with vacuum-assisted filtration. Mo 2 TiC 2 T x and TaS 2 nanosheets were first prepared separately; their dispersions were then mixed and vacuum-filtered to form a film. The two 2D materials are stacked in an alternating manner, creating heterojunction interfaces with intimate contact, which provides a structural basis for modulating charge-carrier transport and electromagnetic-wave dissipation.” said Professor Zong, from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Nanjing Tech University (China)., an expert whose research interests focus on thermoelectric materials and devices, modulation of 2D/3D heterogeneous interfaces, and flexible, multifunctional sensors.
“When the mass ratio of Mo 2 TiC 2 T x to TaS 2 is 1:0.75, the composite film conductivity reaches 878.3 S cm −1 and the power factor is 14.4 μW m −1 K −2 ², approximately 23 and 4 times those of the pure Mo 2 TiC 2 T x film, respectively. It also exhibits an electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of 40.6 dB, significantly higher than that of the pure film.” said Professor Zong.
“The increase in electrical conductivity primarily stems from TaS 2 bridging Mo 2 TiC 2 T x nanosheets and modulating charge-carrier transport at the heterointerfaces. Meanwhile, the interfacial charge distribution and layered structure intensify interfacial polarization as well as reflection and absorption losses, thereby improving electromagnetic shielding performance.” said Professor Zong.
“Based on the Seebeck and piezoresistive effects, this thin film can enable temperature-pressure dual-mode sensing for respiratory, touch, and joint-motion monitoring, while maintaining stable output despite interference from mobile phones, computers, and Wi-Fi. Additionally, its photothermoelectric response facilitates flexible optical power detection and non-contact sensing, offering a novel solution for devices that integrate multi-parameter sensing with electromagnetic shielding.” said Professor Zong.
Other contributors include Mengran Chen, Yuru Ji, Jieyi Zhao, Zhe Tang, Jianhua Li from the college of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University; Jingzhang Zhang from the College of Electrical Engineering and Control Science, Nanjing Tech University. Heng Liu from Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohohu University; Xuefei Zhang, Chunlei Wan from State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University.
About Author
Dr. Peng-an Zong serves as a Professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2016. Following this, he held a postdoctoral position at Tsinghua University from 2016 to 2019. Dr. Zong’s research expertise encompasses semiconductor thermoelectric materials and devices, micro/nano, and flexible manufacturing techniques, alongside their diverse applications in specialized energy systems, thermal management solutions, and sensor technologies.
Funding
This work was supported by NSAF (No. U2230131), National Natural Science Foundation of China- -Youth Science Fund Project (No. 52603369) , Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (26CXJH2715), Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD) and Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Inorganic Function Composites, Nanjing Tech University.
D OI Link:
https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2026.9221391
About Journal of Advanced Ceramics
Journal of Advanced Ceramics (JAC) is an international academic journal that presents the state-of-the-art results of theoretical and experimental studies on the processing, structure, and properties of advanced ceramics and ceramic-based composites. JAC is Fully Open Access, monthly published by Tsinghua University Press, and exclusively available via SciOpen . JAC’s 2025 IF is 14, ranking in Top 1 (1/34, Q1) among all journals in “Materials Science, Ceramics” category, and its 2025 CiteScore is 24.6 (6/133) in Scopus database. ResearchGate homepage: https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Journal-of-Advanced-Ceramics-2227-8508
Journal of Advanced Ceramics
Flexible Mo2TiC2Tx/TaS2 van der Waals heterostructure films for bias‑free dual‑mode sensing and EMI shielding
8-Oct-2026