Effective improvement of lithium-ion battery anode performance of Ti3C2 by alkali metal ion treatment strategy

Abstract

MXene has emerged as a promising electrochemical energy storage material due to modifiable layered structure and good electrical conductivity. However, its lamellar stacking has severely limited the electrochemical performance during charging and discharging. Herein, the Li-treated Ti3C2 and Na-treated Ti3C2 nanocomposites are prepared by hydrothermal treatment. Li-treated Ti3C2 exhibits the largest discharge specific capacity, with an initial capacity of 551.5 mA h/g at a rate of 0.1 A/g, which is 81.3 mA h/g higher than Na-treated Ti3C2. After 200 cycles, the Li-Ti3C2 possesses a final capacity of 321.1 mA h/g, better than Na-Ti3C2 (151.7 mA h/g) and Ti3C2 (119.3 mA h/g). The Li-Ti3C2 shows superior cycling performance at a high rate of 2 A/g and a capacity retention rate of 84 % after 1000 cycles. During hydrothermal treatment, the in situ generated TiO2 plays a crucial role in the targeted introduction of metal ions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations verify that LiTiO2 phase in Li-treated Ti3C2 possesses low band gap and lowest Li migration barrier. The synergy of these factors leads to the improved electrochemical performance of Li-treated Ti3C2. This work provides novel design strategies for developing MXene materials as high performance lithium-ion batteries.