Surface fluorine preservation dependence of Ti3C2Tx MXene for high electrochemical properties in ionic liquid electrolytes

Abstract

We identified the contribution of –CF₃ terminations to the Ti₃C₂T_x surface structure when ethanol and water were used as solvents during delamination through experimental and computational studies. Ethanol-treated –CF₃-terminated Ti₃C₂T_x achieves better prevention of nanoflake aggregation, hydrophobicity, and small size, enabling enhanced capacitive properties in ionic liquid compared to water-treated Ti₃C₂T_x in aqueous and ionic liquid electrolytes.