Phosphorus Doping Strategy-Induced Synergistic Modification of Interlayer Structure and Chemical State in Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub> toward Enhancing Capacitance

oleh: Lihong Chen, Yifan Bi, Yunqi Jing, Jun Dai, Zhenjiang Li, Changlong Sun, Alan Meng, Haijiao Xie, Minmin Hu

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-06-01

Deskripsi

Heteroatom doping is considered an effective method to substantially improve the electrochemical performance of Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub> MXene for supercapacitors. Herein, a facile and controllable strategy, which combines heat treatment with phosphorous (P) doping by using sodium phosphinate (NaH<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>2</sub>) as a phosphorus source, is used to modify Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub>. The intercalated ions from NaH<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>2</sub> act as “pillars” to expand the interlayer space of MXene, which is conducive to electrolyte ion diffusion. On the other hand, P doping tailors the surface electronic state of MXene, optimizing electronic conductivity and reducing the free energy of H<sup>+</sup> diffusion on the MXene surface. Meanwhile, P sites with lower electronegativity owning good electron donor characteristics are easy to share electrons with H<sup>+</sup>, which is beneficial to charge storage. Moreover, the adopted heat treatment replaces –F terminations with O-containing groups, which enhances the hydrophilicity and provides sufficient active sites. The change in surface functional groups increases the content of high valence-stated Ti with a high electrochemical activity that can accommodate more electrons during discharge. Synergistic modification of interlayer structure and chemical state improves the possibility of Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub> for accommodating more H<sup>+</sup> ions. Consequently, the modified electrode delivers a specific capacitance of 510 F g<sup>−1</sup> at 2 mV s<sup>−1</sup>, and a capacitance retention of 90.2% at 20 A g<sup>−1</sup> after 10,000 cycles. The work provides a coordinated strategy for the rational design of high-capacitance Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub> MXene electrodes.