Amine-Assisted Delamination of Nb2C MXene for Li-Ion Energy Storage Devices

A new family of 2D materials, known as MXenes, was discovered in 2011. Those are stacks of 2D early transition metal carbides and carbonitrides. MXenes exhibit both hydrophilic behavior and metallic conductivity, coupled with good mechanical properties. When a drop of the colloidal solution was placed on a lacey carbon coated transmission electron microscope copper grid and allowed to dry, electron transparent sheets of different sizes, from tens of nanometers up to few micrometers, were imaged. The colloidal solution obtained after delamination was vacuum filtered with a CNT-containing solution to produce freestanding, flexible CNT/MXene composite “paper” electrodes. Electrochemical testing of delaminated Ti3C2Tx in Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors showed up to four times improved Liion capacities and volumetric capacitances compared to their multilayered counterparts.