A strategy to boost the electrochemical properties of Ag–Fe2O3 with intercalation of MXene hydrogel

Abstract

Due to the presence of several oxidation states, MXenes and their composites with different metal oxides are of significant interest for use in electrochemical energy storage devices. However, the restacking of MXene layers and weak electrical conductivity of metal oxides pose significant obstacles to their efficient electrochemical transport. To address these crucial problems, we synthesized MXene hydrogel-based composite nanomaterials. MXene stability can be significantly improved by incorporating MXene into hydrogels. MXene hydrogels have high mechanical strength, large surface areas, high electrical conductivity, high flexibility, and superb water absorbency. To effectively stop restacking and expand the surface area of the supercapacitor electrode material, a nanocomposite containing Fe2O3 nanospheres doped with silver and then entangled with cellulose-based MXene hydrogel was fabricated by a facile coprecipitation and ultrasonication procedure. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized for structural analysis via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Electrochemical measurements were investigated in a 1 M aqueous solution of KOH, used as an electrolyte, via cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic charge-discharge. It was observed that the MXene hydrogel boosted the electrochemical characteristics of the Fe2O3 nanospheres. The fabricated nanocomposite electrode exhibited an increase in specific capacitance. The obtained specific capacitance of the nanocomposite electrode was 709.4 Fg-1 (at 1 Ag-1) and exhibited capacitance retention of 84.4%. The research results revealed that the Ag–Fe2O3/MXene hydrogel nanocomposite has potential uses in energy storage devices.