ZnO nanoparticle-decorated two-dimensional titanium carbide with enhanced supercapacitive performance

Abstract

In this work, a sandwich-like structure of ZnO nanoparticle-decorated two-dimensional Ti₃C₂ has been synthesized by the direct precipitation method and a subsequent heat-treatment process. During the synthesis procedure, ZnO nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on the surface and interlayer of Ti₃C₂ sheets, which effectively prevents the restacking of Ti₃C₂ sheets and forms a sandwich-like structure. Serving as a supercapacitor electrode, the electrochemical performances of the as-prepared Ti₃C₂/ZnO were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. These results show that the as-synthesized Ti₃C₂/ZnO delivers an improved specific capacitance of 120 F g⁻¹ at 2 mV s⁻¹ and excellent cycling stability with the capacitance retained at 85% after 10 000 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹. The good electrochemical performances of Ti₃C₂/ZnO indicate that this metal oxide/two-dimensional layered nanocomposite has promising potential in supercapacitor applications.