Room-Temperature Assembled MXene-Based Aerogels for High Mass-Loading Sodium-Ion Storage

Low-temperature assembly of MXene nanosheets into three-dimensional (3D) robust aerogels addresses the crucial stability concern of the nano-building blocks during the fabrication process, which is of key importance for transforming the fascinating properties at the nanoscale into the macroscopic scale for practical applications. Herein, suitable cross-linking agents (amino-propyltriethoxysilane, Mn2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, and Co2+) as interfacial mediators to engineer the interlayer interactions are reported to realize the graphene oxide (GO)-assisted assembly of Ti3C2Tx MXene aerogel at room temperature. This elaborate aerogel construction not only suppresses the oxidation degradation of Ti3C2Tx but also generates porous aerogels with a high Ti3C2Tx content (87 wt%) and robustness, thereby guaranteeing the functional accessibility of Ti3C2Tx nanosheets and operational reliability as integrated functional materials. In combination with a further sulfur modification, the Ti3C2Tx aerogel electrode shows promising electrochemical performances as the freestanding anode for sodium-ion storage. Even at an ultrahigh loading mass of 12.3 mg cm(-2), a pronounced areal capacity of 1.26 mAh cm(-2) at a current density of 0.1 A g(-1) has been achieved, which is of practical significance. This work conceptually suggests a new way to exert the utmost surface functionalities of MXenes in 3D monolithic form and can be an inspiring scaffold to promote the application of MXenes in different areas.

Automated summary

This study reports on the low-temperature assembly of MXene nanosheets into robust three-dimensional aerogels. By using suitable cross-linking agents, graphene oxide-assisted assembly of Ti3C2Tx MXene aerogel with high Ti3C2Tx content and robustness was achieved. Further modification allowed for the use of this aerogel as a freestanding anode for sodium-ion storage, demonstrating promising electrochemical performances.