Green and scalable electrochemical routes for cost-effective mass production of MXenes for supercapacitor electrodes

One of the most unique properties of two-dimensional carbides and nitrides of transition metals (MXenes) is their excellent water dispersibility and yet possessing superior electrical conductivity but their industrial-scale application is limited by their costly chemical synthesis methods. In this work, the niche feature of MXenes was capitalized in the packed-bed electrochemical reactor to produce MXenes at an unprecedented reaction rate and yield with minimal chemical waste. A simple NH4F solution was employed as the green electrolyte, which could be used repeatedly without any loss in its efficacy. Surprisingly, both fluoride and ammonium were found to play critical roles in the electrochemical etching, functionalization, and expansion of the layered parent materials (MAXs) through which the liberation of ammonia gas was observed. The electrochemically produced MXenes with excellent conductivity, applied as supercapacitor electrodes, could deliver an ultrahigh volumetric capacity (1408 F cm(-3)) and a volumetric energy density (75.8 Wh L-1). This revolutionary green, energy-efficient, and scalable electrochemical route will not only pave the way for industrial-scale production of MXenes but also open up a myriad of versatile electrochemical modifications for improved functional MXenes.

Automated summary

One of the most unique properties of MXenes is their excellent water dispersibility and superior electrical conductivity, but their industrial-scale application is limited by costly chemical synthesis methods. In this work, MXenes were produced in a packed-bed electrochemical reactor with a simple NH4F solution as the green electrolyte, resulting in high reaction rate and minimal chemical waste. The electrochemically produced MXenes showed excellent conductivity and were applied successfully as supercapacitor electrodes, demonstrating a revolutionary green and energy-efficient route for large-scale production of MXenes.