Fast self-assembled microfibrillated cellulose@MXene film with high-performance energy storage and superior mechanical strength

The trade-off between the electrochemical performance and mechanical strength is still a challenge for Ti3C2Tx free-standing electrode. Herein, a facile approach was proposed to fabricate a Microfibrillated cellulose@Ti3C2Tx (MFC@Ti3C2Tx) self-assembled microgel film by means of hydrogen bonding linkage. Benefiting from the rich hydroxyl groups on the MFC, the Ti3C2Tx nanosheets coated on the MFC in a time scale of minutes (within 1 min) instead of hours. The ultralong 1D frame of MFC effectively mitigated the re-aggregation of Ti3C2Tx nanosheet. The fluffy MFC@Ti3C2Tx film structure and the constructed 1D/2D conducting Ti3C2Tx pathways in horizontal and vertical directions endowed the fast ion transport of the electrolytes and the improved accessibility to the Ti3C2Tx surface. As a result, the freestanding MFC@Ti3C2Tx microgel film delivered a high specific capacitance of 451F/g. And the rate performance was increased to 71% from the 64% of that of pristine Ti3C2Tx film. Furthermore, the tensile strength of MFC@Ti3C2Tx film was also promoted to 46.3 MPa, 3 folds of that of the pristine Ti3C2Tx film, due to the high strength of MFC and the hydrogen bonding effect. (C) 2021 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A Microfibrillated cellulose@Ti3C2Tx (MFC@Ti3C2Tx) self-assembled microgel film was fabricated through hydrogen bonding linkage, effectively coating Ti3C2Tx nanosheets and improving ion transport and surface accessibility. The film exhibited a high specific capacitance of 451F/g and increased rate performance to 71%, with a tensile strength of 46.3 MPa, 3 times that of the pristine Ti3C2Tx film, due to the high strength of MFC and hydrogen bonding effect.