MnO2 nanoflowers-decorated MXene nanosheets with enhanced supercapacitor performance

Abstract

As typical energy storage devices, the extensive application of the supercapacitors is largely restricted by their relatively low energy storage efficiency, which motivates the development of various advanced electrode materials with sophisticated architectural design. Herein, we put forward a robust and controllable approach to construct a series of hybrid nanoarchitectures consisting of nanoflower-shaped MnO2 nanocrystals grown on super-thin Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets (MNF/Ti3C2Tx) via a convenient co-precipitation process. Such a delicate configuration enables the nanoarchitectures to provide prominent structural merits, such as 2D thin-sheet structure with large surface area, porous MnO2 nanoflower frameworks, activated electronic structure, and high electron conductivity. As a consequence, the optimized MNF/Ti3C2Tx electrode manifests superior electrochemical capacitive properties with a maximum specific capacitance of 348.5 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, excellent rate property, and reliable cycling stability with 91.9% retention of initial capacitance after 5000 cycles, all of which are more competitive than those of conventional MnO2 and Ti3C2Tx electrodes.