Synergistic effects of MXene and Co3O4 in composite electrodes: High-performance energy storage solutions

Abstract

The development of high-performance electrode materials is crucial for advancing supercapacitor technology. The two-dimensional layered structure of MXene (Ti3C2Tx) presents high conductivity, abundant surface functional groups and accessible ion interaction between layers. However, the MXene suffers from the layer aggregation. To overcome this issue, we synthesized a composite material combining MXene with cobalt oxide (Co3O4) to enhance electrochemical performance in supercapacitors. MXene’s two-dimensional layered structure, high conductivity, and abundant surface functional groups allow for efficient ion intercalation, while Co3O4 contributes high theoretical capacitance and rich oxidation states. The resulted MXene/Co3O4 composite exhibits an impressive areal capacitance of 6.456F/cm2 at a current density of 3 mA/cm2, maintaining 90.52 % capacitance retention at 30 mA/cm2, and 81.37 % capacity after 5000 charge–discharge cycles. Additionally, the asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device fabricated using the MXene/Co3O4 composite achieves a power density of 6.41 mW/cm2 at an energy density of 0.37 mWh/cm2, with 82.3 % capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. These results demonstrate that the MXene/Co3O4 composite material is a promising candidate for high-performance supercapacitors, offering significant improvements in rate capability and long-term cycling stability.