Thermally Reduced Graphene/MXene Film for Enhanced Li-ion Storage

Two-dimensional transition-metal carbides called MXenes are emerging electrode materials for energy storage due to their metallic electrical conductivity and low ion diffusion barrier. In this work, we combined Ti₂ CT_x MXene with graphene oxide (GO) followed by a thermal treatment to fabricate flexible rGO/Ti₂ CT_r film, in which electrochemically active rGO and Ti₂ CT_r nanosheets impede the stacking of layers and synergistically interact producing ionically and electronically conducting electrodes. The effect of the thermal treatment on the electrochemical performance of Ti₂ CT_x is evaluated. As anode for Li-ion storage, the thermally treated Ti₂ CT_r possesses a higher capacity in comparison to as-prepared Ti₂ CT_x . The freestanding hybrid rGO/Ti₂ CT_r films exhibit excellent reversible capacity (700 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 Ag^-1 ), cycling stability and rate performance. Additionally, flexible rGO/Ti₃ C₂ T_r films are made using the same method and also present improved capacity. Therefore, this study provides a simple, yet effective, approach to combine rGO with different MXenes, which can enhance their electrochemical properties for Li-ion batteries.