Ti₃C₂T_<i>x</i> MXene-Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Electrodes for Stretchable Supercapacitors

TLDR

Stretchable electronics require compatible high‑performance power sources such as stretchable supercapacitors and batteries. This study explores Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene combined with reduced graphene oxide to fabricate a robust, stretchable high‑performance supercapacitor. The Ti₃C₂Tₓ/RGO composite electrode leverages Ti₃C₂Tₓ’s electrochemical performance and RGO’s mechanical robustness through strong nanosheet interactions, larger nanoflakes, and flexibility. The composite electrodes, with 50 wt % RGO, mitigate cracks under large strains, deliver a capacitance of 49 mF cm⁻² (≈490 F cm⁻³, 140 F g⁻¹), maintain excellent electrochemical and mechanical stability under 300 % uniaxial or 200 % × 200 % biaxial strain, and enable a symmetric device achieving 18.6 mF cm⁻² (≈90 F cm⁻³, 29 F g⁻¹) and 300 % stretchability, demonstrating a versatile strategy for MXene‑based stretchable energy storage.

Abstract

The development of stretchable electronics requires the invention of compatible high-performance power sources, such as stretchable supercapacitors and batteries. In this work, two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene is being explored for flexible and printed energy storage devices by fabrication of a robust, stretchable high-performance supercapacitor with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to create a composite electrode. The Ti3C2Tx/RGO composite electrode combines the superior electrochemical and mechanical properties of Ti3C2Tx and the mechanical robustness of RGO resulting from strong nanosheet interactions, larger nanoflake size, and mechanical flexibility. It is found that the Ti3C2Tx/RGO composite electrodes with 50 wt % RGO incorporated prove to mitigate cracks generated under large strains. The composite electrodes exhibit a large capacitance of 49 mF/cm2 (∼490 F/cm3 and ∼140 F/g) and good electrochemical and mechanical stability when subjected to cyclic uniaxial (300%) or biaxial (200% × 200%) strains. The as-assembled symmetric supercapacitor demonstrates a specific capacitance of 18.6 mF/cm2 (∼90 F/cm3 and ∼29 F/g) and a stretchability of up to 300%. The developed approach offers an alternative strategy to fabricate stretchable MXene-based energy storage devices and can be extended to other members of the large MXene family.