Effect of Synthesis on Performance of MXene/Iron Oxide\nAnode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Two-dimensional\nheterostructures, such as Fe₂O₃/MXene nanoparticles,\ncan be attractive anode materials for lithium-ion\nbatteries (LIBs) due to the synergy between high lithium-storage capacity\nof Fe₂O₃ and stable cyclability and high conductivity\nprovided by MXene. Here, we improved the storage performance of Ti₃C₂T<i>_x</i> (MXene)/Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite by confining Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles into Ti₃C₂T<i>_x</i> nanosheets with different mixing ratios using a\nfacile and scalable dry ball-milling process. Composites of Ti₃C₂T<i>_x</i>-25 wt % Fe₂O₃ and Ti₃C₂T<i>_x</i>-50 wt % Fe₂O₃ synthesized\nby ball-milling resulted in uniform distribution of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles on Ti₃C₂T<i>_x</i> nanosheets with minimum oxidation of MXene\nas compared to composites prepared by hydrothermal or wet sonication.\nMoreover, the composites demonstrated minimum restacking of the nanosheets\nand higher specific surface area. Among all studied composites, the\nTi₃C₂T<i>_x</i>-50 wt %\nFe₂O₃ showed the highest reversible specific\ncapacity of ∼270 mAh g^–1 at 1C (∼203\nmAh g^–1 based on the composite) and rate performance\nof 100 mAh g^–1 at 10C. This can open the door for\nsynthesizing stable and high-performance MXene/transition metal oxide\ncomposites with significantly enhanced electrochemical performance\nfor LIB applications.