Synergistically modified Ti3C2Tx MXene conducting polymer nanocomposites as efficient electrode materials for supercapacitors

Abstract

MXene-conducting polymers have attracted significant research attention as exceptional electrode materials for energy storage applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of titanium carbide MXene via exfoliation, succeeded by one-step oxidative polymerization and surface modification with polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI). Electrochemical characterizations conducted in a symmetric two-electrode assembly reveal that the MXene-PANI electrode supercapacitor demonstrates a specific capacitance of 430 F g−1, surpassing both MXene-PPy (305 F g−1) and pure MXene (105 F g−1) supercapacitors. Furthermore, the MXene-PANI symmetric supercapacitor demonstrates a specific energy of 38 Wh kg−1 at a specific power of 808 W kg−1. The MXene-PANI and MXene-PPy electrode materials exhibited a capacitance retention of 84% and 85% respectively, after 10,000 continuous GCD cycles. The study highlights the application of MXene-polymer nanocomposites as efficient electrode materials for supercapacitors.