Abstract:
This work explains the formation and characterization of nanocomposite material for the
application of supercapacitor. The nanocomposite consists of 2-dimensional MXene, onedimensional (ID) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and zero-dimensional (0-D) molecules of C60 (sixty
atoms of carbon in cage form). After literature review, we found that MXene/CNTs/C60 based
nanocomposites are never reported for supercapacitor devices. So, having C60 & CNTs
commercially available and using a hydrothermal process for synthesizing MXene (Ti3C2) from
MAX (Ti3SiC2), a series of nanocomposite samples were made with different compositions of
MXene, C60 & CNTs. After formation, characterization of all nanocomposite samples was done
to study different properties e.g. Structural Properties (XRD i-e x-ray diffraction technique for
phase analysis, SEM analysis i-e scanning electron microscope analysis for morphological results
and EDX i-e energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for compositional analysis), Optical
Properties (Raman Spectroscopy for vibrational modes of atoms) and Electrical Properties
(Cyclic Voltammetry for I-V measurements). Among all the fabricated nanocomposite samples,
max. specific capacitance of 215 F/g, max. specific energy of 26.87 Wh/kg and max. power density
of 387 W/kg was found for the sample composition of MXene(60%)/C60(10%)/CNTs(30%). We
concluded that small amount of C60 and more CNTs with MXene gives higher capacitance than
other compositions.
