Abstract:
An increase in energy demand leads to the shift from non-sustainable to sustainable energy
sources, increasing the demand for accumulators or energy storage systems. Different
technologies are adopted to store energy, among these batteries and supercapacitors are high
in focus due to their portable nature and energy density. To improve energy storage devices, a
continuous search for good electrode material is in progress. This leads to a novel class of 2D
constituents called MXene. This thesis comprises different electrode materials synthesis
which are metal oxides/chalcogenides hybrids with a new and least explored MXene having
good electronic and conductive properties i.e. Ti3CNTx. Ti3CNTx is synthesized by the
etching of the A-layer from its parent MAX phase. Metal oxides/ chalcogenides are
synthesized using different methods. Hybrids of Ti3CNTx and metal oxide/ chalcogenides are
prepared using a heat treatment method. The phase identification and morphology studies of
the synthesized hybrids are done with the help of different techniques X-ray diffraction
(XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Scanning
electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The application of
synthesized material towards energy storage gadgets like lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and
supercapacitors is performed and also the electrocatalytic behavior as a bifunctional catalyst
towards water splitting is determined. In LIBs, the Bi2Se3/d-Ti3CNTx coin cell is fabricated
using Li-metal as a counter electrode. It shows good specific discharge capacity i.e. 650
mAh/g while in supercapacitors, the material is tested in a 2 M KOH solution in a three
electrode system. Among all the synthesized hybrids, Bi2S3/d-Ti3CNTx shows good specific
capacitance i.e. 2309.80 F/g. The electrocatalytic water splitting of Ti3CNTx and its hybrid is
studied and it is observed that it also plays a good role in water splitting. This dissertation
highlights the advantages of using a new carbonaceous material i.e. Ti3CNTx. The
preparation of novel hybrids which are metal chalcogenides with d-Ti3CNTx and their
electrochemical behavior in various energy storage fields. Some basic issues associated with
Ti3CNTx are discussed in this dissertation.
