3D Ti3C2Tx aerogels with enhanced surface area for high performance supercapacitors

Abstract

Two-dimensional titanium carbide as a novel electrode material has been widely researched in the field of energy storage in recent years. However, the restacking of Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets is still a challenge, which largely restricts their development. Here, we employ the 3D architecture of a Ti₃C₂T_x aerogel to restrict the restacking of 2D Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets. This special structure can not only effectively reduce the restacking of 2D materials, but also accelerate the transport of electrolyte ions in the electrode. The as-prepared Ti₃C₂T_x aerogel possessed a large special surface area of 108 m² g⁻¹ and achieved a special capacitance of 349 F g⁻¹ which is retained even at a high scan rate of 2000 mV s⁻¹ in the 3 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte, indicating an ultrahigh rate capability. Moreover, at a higher current density of 20 A g⁻¹, 90% of the initial capacitance is also retained after 20 000 charging–discharging cycles, revealing an excellent cycling stability. Furthermore, the mechanism of charge storage was investigated.