Defect Engineering and Effect of Vacancy Concentration on the Electrochemical Performance of V-Based MXenes

Abstract

Vacancies play a pivotal role in determining the physical and chemical properties of materials. Introducing vacancies into two-dimensional (2D) materials offers a promising strategy for developing high-performance electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage. Herein, a facile top-down strategy is employed to create V-based MXenes with tunable vacancy concentrations, achieved by designing the precursor (V_1−xCr_x)₂AlC (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.3) MAX phase and precisely controlling the etching process. Systematic investigations reveal that introducing a moderate concentration of Cr-induced vacancies significantly enhances both the capacitance and rate performance of V-based MXenes. Specifically, V_1.9CT_z achieves a capacitance of 760 F g⁻¹, far exceeding the 420 F g⁻¹ of vacancy-free V₂CT_z MXene. In contrast, an excessively high vacancy concentration leads to deteriorated electrochemical performance and compromised structural stability. This work illustrates that defect engineering is a powerful approach to tailor the electrochemical properties of MXenes, offering a framework for designing next-generation MXene-based energy storage systems.

Keywords

defect engineering / energy storage / fast electron and ion transport / MXenes / vacancy concentration control

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2026 The Author(s). Energy & Environmental Materials published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Zhengzhou University.