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Thickness-independent capacitance of vertically aligned liquid-crystalline MXenes

Author

Listed:
  • Yu Xia

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Tyler S. Mathis

    (Drexel University)

  • Meng-Qiang Zhao

    (Drexel University
    University of Pennsylvania)

  • Babak Anasori

    (Drexel University)

  • Alei Dang

    (University of Pennsylvania
    Northwestern Polytechnical University)

  • Zehang Zhou

    (University of Pennsylvania
    Polymer Research Institute of Sichuan University)

  • Hyesung Cho

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Yury Gogotsi

    (Drexel University)

  • Shu Yang

    (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

The scalable and sustainable manufacture of thick electrode films with high energy and power densities is critical for the large-scale storage of electrochemical energy for application in transportation and stationary electric grids. Two-dimensional nanomaterials have become the predominant choice of electrode material in the pursuit of high energy and power densities owing to their large surface-area-to-volume ratios and lack of solid-state diffusion1,2. However, traditional electrode fabrication methods often lead to restacking of two-dimensional nanomaterials, which limits ion transport in thick films and results in systems in which the electrochemical performance is highly dependent on the thickness of the film1–4. Strategies for facilitating ion transport—such as increasing the interlayer spacing by intercalation5–8 or introducing film porosity by designing nanoarchitectures9,10—result in materials with low volumetric energy storage as well as complex and lengthy ion transport paths that impede performance at high charge–discharge rates. Vertical alignment of two-dimensional flakes enables directional ion transport that can lead to thickness-independent electrochemical performances in thick films11–13. However, so far only limited success11,12 has been reported, and the mitigation of performance losses remains a major challenge when working with films of two-dimensional nanomaterials with thicknesses that are near to or exceed the industrial standard of 100 micrometres. Here we demonstrate electrochemical energy storage that is independent of film thickness for vertically aligned two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx), a material from the MXene family (two-dimensional carbides and nitrides of transition metals (M), where X stands for carbon or nitrogen). The vertical alignment was achieved by mechanical shearing of a discotic lamellar liquid-crystal phase of Ti3C2Tx. The resulting electrode films show excellent performance that is nearly independent of film thickness up to 200 micrometres, which makes them highly attractive for energy storage applications. Furthermore, the self-assembly approach presented here is scalable and can be extended to other systems that involve directional transport, such as catalysis and filtration.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu Xia & Tyler S. Mathis & Meng-Qiang Zhao & Babak Anasori & Alei Dang & Zehang Zhou & Hyesung Cho & Yury Gogotsi & Shu Yang, 2018. "Thickness-independent capacitance of vertically aligned liquid-crystalline MXenes," Nature, Nature, vol. 557(7705), pages 409-412, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:557:y:2018:i:7705:d:10.1038_s41586-018-0109-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0109-z
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Zhang, Fan & Jia, Zirui & Wang, Chao & Feng, Ailing & Wang, Kuikui & Hou, Tianqi & Liu, Jiajia & Zhang, Yi & Wu, Guanglei, 2020. "Sandwich-like silicon/Ti3C2Tx MXene composite by electrostatic self-assembly for high performance lithium ion battery," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    2. Tianze Zhang & Libo Chang & Xiaofeng Zhang & Hujie Wan & Na Liu & Liujiang Zhou & Xu Xiao, 2022. "Simultaneously tuning interlayer spacing and termination of MXenes by Lewis-basic halides," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Xinchao Lu & Huachao Yang & Zheng Bo & Biyao Gong & Mengyu Cao & Xia Chen & Erka Wu & Jianhua Yan & Kefa Cen & Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov, 2022. "Aligned Ti 3 C 2 T X Aerogel with High Rate Performance, Power Density and Sub-Zero-Temperature Stability," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-12, February.
    4. Ke Li & Juan Zhao & Ainur Zhussupbekova & Christopher E. Shuck & Lucia Hughes & Yueyao Dong & Sebastian Barwich & Sebastien Vaesen & Igor V. Shvets & Matthias Möbius & Wolfgang Schmitt & Yury Gogotsi , 2022. "4D printing of MXene hydrogels for high-efficiency pseudocapacitive energy storage," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Tianzhu Zhou & Yangzhe Yu & Bing He & Zhe Wang & Ting Xiong & Zhixun Wang & Yanting Liu & Jiwu Xin & Miao Qi & Haozhe Zhang & Xuhui Zhou & Liheng Gao & Qunfeng Cheng & Lei Wei, 2022. "Ultra-compact MXene fibers by continuous and controllable synergy of interfacial interactions and thermal drawing-induced stresses," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Changjae Lee & Soon Mo Park & Soobin Kim & Yun-Seok Choi & Geonhyeong Park & Yun Chan Kang & Chong Min Koo & Seon Joon Kim & Dong Ki Yoon, 2022. "Field-induced orientational switching produces vertically aligned Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    7. Saxena, Shatakshi & Johnson, Michael & Dixit, Fuhar & Zimmermann, Karl & Chaudhuri, Shreya & Kaka, Fiyanshu & Kandasubramanian, Balasubramanian, 2023. "Thinking green with 2-D and 3-D MXenes: Environment friendly synthesis and industrial scale applications and global impact," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).

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