Thermally Reduced Graphene/MXene Film for Enhanced Li-ion Storage

Two-dimensional transition-metal carbides called MXenes are emerging electrode materials for energy storage due to their metallic electrical conductivity and low ion diffusion barrier. In this work, we combined Ti2CTx MXene with graphene oxide (GO) followed by a thermal treatment to fabricate flexible rGO/Ti2CTr film, in which electrochemically active rGO and Ti2CTr nanosheets impede the stacking of layers and synergistically interact producing ionically and electronically conducting electrodes. The effect of the thermal treatment on the electrochemical performance of Ti2CTx is evaluated. As anode for Li-ion storage, the thermally treated Ti2CTr possesses a higher capacity in comparison to as-prepared Ti2CTx. The freestanding hybrid rGO/Ti2CTr films exhibit excellent reversible capacity (700 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 Ag-1), cycling stability and rate performance. Additionally, flexible rGO/Ti3C2Tr films are made using the same method and also present improved capacity. Therefore, this study provides a simple, yet effective, approach to combine rGO with different MXenes, which can enhance their electrochemical properties for Li-ion batteries.