Scalable Fabrication of Ti3C2Tx MXene/RGO/Carbon Hybrid Aerogel for Organics Absorption and Energy Conversion

High aspect ratio two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXene flakes with extraordinary mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties are ideal candidates for assembling elastic and conductive aerogels. However, the scalable fabrication of large MXene-based aerogels remains a challenge because the traditional preparation method relies on supercritical drying techniques such as freeze drying, resulting in poor scalability and high cost. Herein, the use of porous melamine foam as a robust template for MXene/reduced graphene oxide aerogel circumvents the volume shrinkage during its natural drying process. Through this approach, we were able to produce large size (up to 600 cm(3)) MXene-based aerogel with controllable shape. In addition, the aerogels possess an interconnected cellular structure and display resilience up to 70% of compressive strain. Some key features also include high solvent absorption capacity (similar to 50-90 g g(-1)), good photothermal conversion ability (an average evaporation rate of 1.48 kg m(-2) h(-1) for steam generation), and an excellent electrothermal conversion rate (1.8 kg m(-2) h(-1) at 1 V). More importantly, this passive drying process provides a scalable, convenient, and costeffective approach to produce high-performance MXene-based aerogels, demonstrating the feasibility of commercial production of MXene-based aerogels toward practical applications.

Automated summary

The use of porous melamine foam as a template for MXene/reduced graphene oxide aerogel allows for the successful fabrication of large size and controllable shape MXene-based aerogels, showcasing excellent performance characteristics.