Nature-Inspired MXene Electrode with the Highly Interconnected Gradient Nanoconfined Architecture

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Efficient ion transport in thick electrodes is crucial for high-energy electrochemical systems but is hindered by diffusion limitations.
• Nanoconfinement effects in nanoscale channels can accelerate ion transport kinetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a gradient nanoconfined MXene electrode (GNC-MX) inspired by bamboo structures.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of multiscale interlayer spacing and in-plane mesopores on ion migration.
• To develop a scalable method for producing thick GNC-MX electrodes with enhanced electrochemical performance.

Main Methods:

• Finite element simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to analyze ion transport mechanisms.
• In situ deprotonation-reprotonation strategy to optimize MXene interlayer spacing and ion transport channels.
• Scalable group-welding method for fabricating thick electrodes.

Main Results:

• The GNC-MX electrode design enables synergistic vertical and horizontal ion migration.
• Optimized nanoconfined channels and in-plane mesopores significantly enhance ion transport kinetics.
• Fabricated 400 µm-thick GNC-MX electrodes achieved an ultrahigh areal capacitance of 20.7 F cm⁻².
• Performance surpasses existing MXene-based electrodes.

Conclusions:

• The biomimetic GNC-MX electrode offers a scalable and tunable platform for advanced ion nanoconfinement.
• This approach effectively addresses ion transport challenges in thick electrodes for energy storage.
• The study demonstrates a promising strategy for developing next-generation high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices.