DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS FOR RAPID AND EFFICIENT ENERGY STORAGE

Abstract

The increasing demand for rapid, reliable, and high-performance energy-storage technologies has stimulated considerable interest in advanced two-dimensional (2D) electrode materials. Conventional energy-storage electrodes frequently suffer from limited electrical conductivity, sluggish ion diffusion, structural degradation, and inadequate rate capability. This study investigates the synthesis and electrochemical performance of Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene as a representative 2D material for rapid and efficient energy storage. Ti₃C₂Tₓ was synthesized from Ti₃AlC₂ MAX phase through a controlled etching and delamination process, followed by structural, morphological, surface, and electrochemical characterization. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis were employed to evaluate the material properties. Electrochemical behavior was examined through cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), rate-capability measurements, and long-term cycling. The illustrative laboratory dataset showed a specific capacitance of 486 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, with 76.5% retention at 20 A g⁻¹ and 91.8% capacitance retention after 5,000 cycles. The enhanced performance was attributed to the conductive Ti–C framework, expanded interlayer spacing, accessible electrochemical surface, and surface functional groups of Ti₃C₂Tₓ. The findings demonstrate that rationally engineered 2D MXene structures provide a promising platform for high-rate energy-storage electrodes. Further optimization through interlayer engineering, surface functionalization, composite formation, and environmentally safer synthesis could facilitate the transition of MXene-based electrodes from laboratory research toward practical high-power energy-storage devices.