Textile-Based Ti3C2 MXene Capacitor by Laser Ablation Patterning

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Energy Storage
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Electronic textiles (e-textiles) face limitations in power supply integration.
• Flexible, textile-based energy storage devices are crucial for advancing e-textile capabilities.
• Existing power solutions often lack the necessary flexibility and integration for seamless textile incorporation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate laser ablation (LA) for creating patterned thin-film electrodes on fabric.
• To develop textile-based energy storage units using Ti3C2 MXene and a gel polymer electrolyte.
• To investigate the performance and stability of these flexible symmetrical capacitors.

Main Methods:

• Laser ablation (LA) was employed to pattern Ti3C2 MXene (MX) electrodes on TPU-coated cotton fabric.
• A LiCl-based UV-curable gel polymer electrolyte was coated onto the patterned electrodes.
• Fabrication of textile-based flexible symmetrical capacitors (MX Sy-Cs) and performance testing.

Main Results:

• Capacitance values ranged from 11.7 mF cm⁻² to 0.53 mF cm⁻² depending on scan rate.
• Achieved an average capacitance of 2.03 mF cm⁻² after 9025 cycles at 100 µA cm⁻².
• Demonstrated the compatibility of an array of textile-based MX Sy-Cs for low-power applications.

Conclusions:

• Laser ablation is a viable method for fabricating textile-based energy storage electrodes.
• The developed flexible capacitors show promising performance and stability for e-textile integration.
• This technology offers a pathway to overcome power supply challenges in wearable electronics.