Ti₃C₂T MXene-Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Electrodes for Stretchable Supercapacitors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Stretchable electronics demand high-performance, flexible power sources.
• Existing power sources often lack the necessary mechanical robustness for wearable applications.
• Two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene shows promise for energy storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the use of Ti3C2Tx MXene in flexible and printed energy storage devices.
• To fabricate a robust, stretchable supercapacitor using a Ti3C2Tx MXene and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite electrode.
• To investigate the electrochemical and mechanical properties of the composite under strain.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a composite electrode using Ti3C2Tx MXene and RGO.
• Characterization of the composite electrode's electrochemical performance (capacitance, stability).
• Testing of mechanical stability under cyclic uniaxial and biaxial strains.

Main Results:

• Ti3C2Tx/RGO composite electrodes (50 wt% RGO) mitigate cracking under large strains.
• Composite electrodes exhibit high capacitance (49 mF/cm², ~490 F/cm³, ~140 F/g).
• Supercapacitor shows excellent electrochemical and mechanical stability under 300% uniaxial and 200% × 200% biaxial strain.
• As-assembled symmetric supercapacitor achieves 18.6 mF/cm² capacitance and 300% stretchability.

Conclusions:

• The Ti3C2Tx/RGO composite electrode provides a pathway to high-performance, stretchable energy storage.
• This approach offers an alternative strategy for fabricating stretchable MXene-based devices.
• The method can be extended to other MXene materials for diverse applications.