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Covalent Ag-holey MXene link at interface boosting electrochemical dechlorination
Hao Zhang1, Chenxu Liu1, Hao Wang1
1School of Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China.
Nature Communications
|July 14, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed novel hybrid electrodes by covalently linking silver (Ag) to holey MXene (HMX) for enhanced capacitive deionization (CDI). This strategy significantly improves dechlorination capacity and stability, offering a new approach for water purification electrodes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Silver (Ag) species incorporation into conductive matrices aids capacitive deionization (CDI) by mitigating volumetric expansion and stabilizing electrode structures.
- Heterogeneous interfaces between Ag and conductive matrices often exhibit poor charge transfer resistance due to weak bonding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a robust method for covalently linking Ag single atoms and nanoparticles to holey MXene (HMX) for improved CDI performance.
- To enhance electron transfer and facilitate faradaic dechlorination through covalent Ag-HMX interfaces.
- To engineer HMX nanosheets for efficient ion and electron transport in CDI electrodes.
Main Methods:
- An in situ etching-and-reduction strategy was employed to create Ag single atoms covalently bonded to HMX, guiding Ag nanoparticle growth.
- Holey MXene (HMX) nanosheets were perforated to create an interconnected porous matrix for efficient charge and ion transport.
- Fabrication of hybrid electrodes using the synthesized Ag-covalently linked HMX material.
Main Results:
- The Ag-HMX hybrid electrodes demonstrated a significantly enhanced dechlorination capacity of 156.63 ± 2.6 mg g⁻¹.
- High charge efficiency (91.2 ± 4.5%) and excellent cyclic stability (>90% retention over 50 cycles) were achieved.
- The covalent linkage promoted electron transfer and facilitated faradaic dechlorination, while the porous HMX structure ensured rapid transport.
Conclusions:
- The developed synthetic strategy effectively integrates Ag-mediated covalent interfacial bridging with pore-engineered MXene.
- This approach provides a new paradigm for designing high-performance CDI electrodes for efficient dechlorination.
- The hybrid electrodes show great promise for advanced water purification applications.
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