MXene-derived TiO₂ nanosheets/rGO heterostructures for superior sodium-ion storage

Abstract

Transition metal oxides hold promise as electrode materials for energy-storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors. However, achieving ideal electrode materials with high capacity, long-term cycling stability, and superb rate capability remains a challenge. In this study, we present a self-assembled heterogeneous structure consisting of TiO₂ nanosheets derived from Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and reduced graphene oxide. This structure facilitates the formation of heterogeneous structures while establishing a conductive network. The restacking of porous TiO₂ nanosheets and reduced graphene oxide within the heterostructure results in high porosity and excellent conductivity. Due to enhanced electron and Na⁺ transfer, as well as improved structural stability during the Na⁺ insertion/extraction process, this heterogeneous structure exhibited exceptional Na⁺ storage performance. Specifically, it exhibits a long-term cycling stability (217 mAh g⁻¹ at 10 C, 5000 cycles) and an ultrahigh rate capability (135 mAh g^-1, 40 C). Analysis of electrode reaction kinetics suggests that Na⁺ storage in the heterostructure is predominantly governed by a surface-controlled process. Our results provide a promising strategy for utilizing self-assembled heterostructures in advanced energy storage applications.

Keywords

Ti₃C₂T_x MXene / Titanium dioxide / Self-assembly / Heterostructure / Sodium-ion batteries

Declaration of Competing Interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Baosong Li: Writing - review & editing, Writing - original draft, Visualization, Supervision, Software, Resources, Methodology, Investigation, Conceptualization. Dezhuang Ji: Validation, Resources, Investigation. Abdallah Kamal Hamouda: Validation, Resources. Shaohong Luo: Visualization, Investigation.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Research & Innovation Center for Graphene and 2D Materials (RIC-2D) and the use of the Khalifa University Core Nanocharacterization Facilities (CNCF).

Supplementary materials

Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi: 10.1016/j.chphma.2024.05.001.

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