Carbon-intercalated Ti3C2Tx MXene for high-performance electrochemical energy storage

Abstract

In this study, carbon-intercalated Ti₃C₂T_x MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x/C) was prepared through annealing long-chain fatty amines to form carbon interlayers into MXene. With the increase in interlayer spacing due to amine intercalation and enhanced electrical conductivity owing to the in situ formation of carbon between MXene layers, the Ti₃C₂T_x/C heterostructure exhibited improved electrochemical performances. Specifically, when serving as a supercapacitor electrode material, the Ti₃C₂T_x/C heterostructure displayed high reversible gravimetric capacitance of 364.3 F g⁻¹ at current density of 1 A g⁻¹. The heterostructures were advantageous for penetration of electrolyte ions into the MXene layers and exhibited excellent electrochemical cycling stability with above 99% retention over 10 000 cycles. The high capacitance and excellent cycling stability demonstrate the great promise of this simple and scalable approach for developing high-performance carbon-based 2D nanomaterials for energy storage.