Synergistic V₂CTₓ MXene-PANI hybrid with expanded interlayers for Ultrastable and high-rate Pseudocapacitive energy...

Recently, MXene-conducting polymer hybrids have emerged as promising electrode materials for sustainable energy storage applications, owing to their impressive electrochemical properties. Herein, we report the synthesis of vanadium carbide MXene nanoparticles (V₂CT_x-MXene) using innovative Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technology followed by exfoliation steps. The V₂CT_x nanoparticles were incorporated with PANI (MXene-PANI) by electrochemical polymerization of aniline monomers in the presence of V₂CT_x nanolayers, to be used as a highly efficient material for charge storage application. PANI nanofibers form a conductive and porous architecture, which intercalates the V₂CT_x nanoflakes. The resulting structure increases the interlayer spacing of V₂CT_x sheets, which provides a larger accessible surface area, facilitates ion transport capability, and enhances the diffusion coefficient within the composite electrode. Benefiting from the strong interaction between V₂CT_x and PANI, high electrical conductivity, and improved surface hydrophilicity, the MXene-PANI nanocomposite presented an excellent specific capacitance of 677.21 F/g, surpassing pristine PANI with 397.71 F/g. Furthermore, the MXene-PANI exhibited remarkable capacitance retention of 91.4 % after 10,000 GCD cycles. The impressive electrochemical performance of the composite electrode can also be attributed to the pseudocapacitive performance (redox behavior) of V₂CT_x nanoparticles. The resulting synergy in the V₂CTₓ MXene-PANI heterojunction significantly enhances the physicochemical properties of the hybrid, which, combined with its outstanding electrochemical performance, makes it a promising material for charge storage in supercapacitors and beyond.