In Situ Nitrogen Functionalization of 2D-Ti3C2T x-MXenes for High-Performance Zn-Ion Supercapacitor

Abdul Mateen; Mohd Zahid Ansari; Qasim Abbas; Ahmed Muneeb; Ahmad Hussain; Elsayed Tag Eldin; Fatimah Mohammed Alzahrani; Norah Salem Alsaiari; Shafaqat Ali; Muhammad Sufyan Javed

doi:10.3390/molecules27217446

In Situ Nitrogen Functionalization of 2D-Ti₃C₂T _x-MXenes for High-Performance Zn-Ion Supercapacitor

Molecules. 2022 Nov 2;27(21):7446. doi: 10.3390/molecules27217446.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100084, China.
² School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712749, Korea.
³ Department of Intelligent Manufacturing, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, China.
⁴ Department of Botany, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
⁵ Department of Physics, The University of Lahore Sargodha campus, 40100 Sargodha, Pakistan.
⁶ Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Future University in Egypt, New Cairo 11835, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Biological Sciences and Technology, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
⁹ Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
¹⁰ School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) ion supercapacitors (ZISCs) have attracted considerable attention as a viable energy storage technology because they are cost-effective, safe, and environmentally friendly. However, cathode materials with suitable properties are rare and need to be explored. In this regard, metal carbides (MXenes) are a good choice for capacitive energy storage, but they exhibit low capacitance. The energy storage performance of MXenes can be bossed using functionalization with heteroatom doping, e.g., nitrogen (N), to simultaneously modify ZISCs' fundamental characteristics and electrochemical properties. Herein, we present an in-situ N-functionalization of Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene via a hydrothermal reaction with urea (denoted as N-Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene). N-functionalization into Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene raised Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene's interlayer spacing and boosted the Zn-ion storage in 1 M ZnSO₄ electrolyte. The N-Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene electrode delivered an excellent specific capacitance of 582.96 F/g at 1 A/g and retained an outstanding cycle stability of 94.62% after 5000 cycles at 10 A/g, which is 1.8 times higher than pristine Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene at identical conditions. Moreover, the N-Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene//Zn device demonstrated a maximum capacitance of 153.55 F/g at 1 A/g, retained 92% of its initial value after 5000 cycles, and its Coulombic efficiency was ~100%. This strategy considerably reduced Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene nanosheet restacking and aggregation and enhanced electrochemical performance. Further, this research elucidated N-Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene's charge-storage process and offered a fresh approach to the rational design of novel electrode materials for ZISCs.

Keywords: MXene; nitrogen functionalization; specific capacitance; zinc ion supercapacitor.

Grants and funding

This work was funded by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project Number (PNURSP2022R42), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.