Abstract:
The efficient utilization of green and non-renewable energy sources requires the
development of energy storage devices with high energy density, power density, and
prolonged cycling stability. Over the last decade, 2-D MXene based materials are being
extensively used in energy storage devices such as supercapacitors and lithium-ion
batteries. In this research, the hydrothermal synthesis of composites of 2-D Ti3CNTx
MXene with ZnSe nanoparticles and rGO was reported. The Ti3CNTx @ ZnSe and
Ti3CNTx @ rGO nanocomposites were successfully synthesized and characterized by
FTIR, p-XRD, SEM, and EDS. The synthesized materials were tested for their
electrochemical activity towards supercapacitors by CV, GCD, and EIS. The excellent
specific capacity of 375F g-1 at the current density of 1 A g-1 with ~53% coulombic
efficiency was shown by Ti3CNTx @ ZnSe (1:1) nanocomposite. The Ti3CNTx @ rGO
nanocomposite also shows a good specific capacity of ~115 F g-1 at the current density of
1 A g-1 with coulombic efficiency of ~80%.
The synthesized materials were also tested for OER. The best results were obtained for
Ti3CNTx @ ZnSe (1:1) nanocomposite which shows an overpotential of 226 mV at the
current density of 20 mA cm-2. The chronoamperometric test at an applied potential of 0.6V
shows that Ti3CNTx @ ZnSe (1:1) nanocomposite has good stability as it retained almost
71% of current after 24h. Overall the Ti3CNTx @ ZnSe (1:1) nanocomposite can be applied
as an electrode material of supercapacitors for commercial applications.
