Co-intercalation of CTAB favors the preparation of Ti3C2Tx/PANI composite with improved electrochemical performance

Abstract

With the aid of the amphiphilicity and self-assembly ability of surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), we demonstrate an effective method to increase the interlayer spacing of Ti3C2Tx nanosheets, which is beneficial to improve the performance of composites. Electrochemical tests show that Ti3C2Tx/polyaniline, treated by the co-intercalation of CTAB, exhibits higher redox activity and reversibility. A specific capacitance of 336 F·g−1 for as-prepared Ti3C2Tx/polyaniline composite is achieved at a current density of 0.5 A·g−1, 1.43 times greater than that of common Ti3C2Tx/polyaniline composite (236 F·g−1). Most importantly, a specific capacitance of 135 F·g−1 is retained when the current density increases to 16 A·g−1, much higher than 57 F·g−1 for the common composite. The superior charging/discharging capability is attributed to highly active and reversible polyaniline on Ti3C2Tx as well as the enlarged interlayer spacing, which will provide enough channel for the quick diffusion and migration of electrolyte ions.