Intercalation of C60 into MXene Multilayers: A Promising Approach for Enhancing the Electrochemical Properties of Electrode Materials for High-Performance Energy Storage Applications

Hassan Bukhari; Asad M Iqbal; Saif Ullah Awan; Danish Hussain; Saqlain A Shah; Syed Rizwan

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c04058

Intercalation of C60 into MXene Multilayers: A Promising Approach for Enhancing the Electrochemical Properties of Electrode Materials for High-Performance Energy Storage Applications

ACS Omega. 2023 Dec 28;9(1):227-238. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c04058. eCollection 2024 Jan 9.

Authors

Hassan Bukhari¹, Asad M Iqbal², Saif Ullah Awan¹, Danish Hussain³, Saqlain A Shah⁴, Syed Rizwan⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering, NUST College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
² Department of Basic Sciences and Humanities, NUST College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
³ Department of Mechatronics Engineering, NUST College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Physics, Forman Christian College (University), Lahore 54600,Pakistan.
⁵ Physics Characterization and Simulation Lab (PCSL), Department of Physics, School of Natural Sciences (SNS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.

Abstract

In this study, we report on the enhancement of the electrochemical properties of MXene by intercalating C60 nanoparticles between its layers. The aim was to increase the interlayer spacing of MXene, which has a direct effect on capacitance by allowing the electrolyte flow in the electrode. To achieve this, various concentrations of Ti₃SiC₂ (known as MXene) and C60 nanocomposites were prepared through a hydrothermal process under optimal conditions. The resulting composites were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. Electrodes were fabricated using different concentrations of MXene and C60 nanocomposites, and current-voltage (I-V) measurements were performed at various scan rates to analyze the capacitance of pseudo supercapacitors. The results showed the highest capacitance of 348 F g^1- for the nanocomposite with a composition of 90% MXene and 10% C60. We introduce MXene-C60 composites as promising electrode materials for supercapacitors and highlight their unique properties. Our work provides a new approach to designing high-performance electrode materials for supercapacitors, which can have significant implications for the development of efficient energy storage systems.