Solvation structure design for stabilizing MXene in transition metal ion solutions

Abstract

Although MXene has attracted great interest in diverse fields, it is susceptible to oxidation in water (H₂O) with transition metal ions such as Co²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Cu²⁺, which is pronounced at high temperatures. This impedes the preparation of MXene-based composites and their functional applications. Here, this study revealed that Co²⁺ increases the maximum and average atomic charge of H in H₂O to improve the reactivity of H₂O, which leads to the fact that Co²⁺ catalyzes the oxidation of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene. Furthermore, the addition of N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) reduces the H₂O activity and improves the oxidation stability of Ti₃C₂T_x in the presence of Co²⁺ via preferentially forming coordination bonds with Co²⁺. This strategy is also effective in enhancing the oxidation tolerance of Ti₃C₂T_x to Fe²⁺ in H₂O. Moreover, it is feasible to enhance the oxidation stability of Ti₂CT_x MXene in H₂O with the existence of Co²⁺. By virtue of these, the CoO/Ti₃C₂T_x composite was successfully prepared without obvious Ti₃C₂T_x oxidation, which is desirable to harness the advantages of Ti₃C₂T_x as the complementary component for lithium-ion batteries. This work provides a straightforward paradigm to enhance the oxidation resistance of MXene in H₂O in the presence of transition metal ions and at high temperatures, which opens a new vista to use MXene for target applications.

Keywords

hydrogen bonds / N,N-dimethyl formamide / solvation structure / stability / Ti ₃C ₂T _x MXene / transition metal ions

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2024 The Author(s). SusMat published by Sichuan University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.