Holey Ti3C2 MXene-Derived Anode Enables Boosted Kinetics in Lithium-Ion Capacitors

Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) attract enormous attention because of the urgent demands for high power and energy density devices. However, the intrinsic imbalance between anodes and cathodes with different charge-storage mechanisms blocks the further improvement in energy and power density. MXenes, novel two-dimensional materials with metallic conductivity, accordion-like structure, and regulable interlayer spacing, are widely employed in electrochemical energy storage devices. Herein, we propose a holey Ti3C2 MXene-derived composite (pTi(3)C(2)/C) with enhanced kinetics for LICs. This strategy effectively decreases the surface groups (-F and -O) and generates expanded interplanar spacing. The in -plane pores of Ti(3)C(2)Tx lead to increased active sites and accelerated lithium-ion diffusion kinetics. Benefiting from the expanded interplanar spacing and accelerated lithium-ion diffusion, the pTi(3)C(2)/C as an anode implements excellent electrochemical property (capacity retention about 80% after 2000 cycles). Furthermore, the LIC fabricated with a pTi(3)C(2)/C anode and an activated carbon cathode displays a maximum energy density of 110 Wh kg(-1) and a considerable energy density of 71 Wh kg(-1) at 4673 W kg(-1). This work provides an effective strategy to achieve high antioxidant capability and boosted electrochemical properties, which represents a new exploration of structural design and tuneable surface chemistry for MXene in LICs.

Automated summary

In this study, a holey Ti3C2 MXene-derived composite (pTi(3)C(2)/C) was proposed as an anode material for lithium-ion capacitors (LICs). The pTi(3)C(2)/C exhibited enhanced kinetic properties due to decreased surface groups and expanded interplanar spacing. The LIC fabricated with pTi(3)C(2)/C anode and activated carbon cathode achieved a maximum energy density of 110 Wh kg(-1) and a considerable energy density of 71 Wh kg(-1) at 4673 W kg(-1). This work provides insights into the structural design and tunable surface chemistry of MXene for improved LIC performance.