Interlayer Spacing Expansion and Active Site Engineering of MXene@TiO2 Heterostructures as Robust Cathodes for Rechargeable Aluminum-Ion Batteries
4 affiliations
- 1Ruyuan Dongyangguang Fluorine Resin Co., Ltd., Shaoguan 512799, China
- 2College of New Energy, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China
- 3Henan International Joint Laboratory of Ceramic Energy Materials, Zhengzhou 450001, China
- 4Shanghai Putailai New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai 210315, China
Abstract
Aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) have become a highly promising energy storage technology due to their high theoretical capacity, cost-effectiveness, and excellent safety. However, there is still a lack of stable and efficient cathode materials capable of reversibly inserting/extracting aluminum complex ions, which constitutes a key challenge in the field. Herein, we propose a facile and controllable hydrothermal strategy to in situ construct Ti3C2TX MXene@TiO2 heterostructures, and systematically elaborate the regulatory mechanism of hydrothermal temperature and reaction duration on the morphology, interlayer structure, surface chemistry, and electrochemical behaviors of the composites. The results demonstrate that uniformly dispersed anatase TiO2 nanoparticles are anchored on MXene nanosheets, which effectively suppresses layer stacking, expands interlayer spacing from 1.040 nm to 1.344 nm, and synchronously regulates surface terminal groups of MXene. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of expanded ion diffusion channels, abundant pseudocapacitive active sites, and robust heterointerfaces, the optimized Ti3C2Tx@TiO2 electrode delivers a high initial reversible capacity of 243.8 mAh g−1 and maintains a stable capacity of 80 mAh g−1 after 200 consecutive cycles with negligible capacity decay. The proposed structural engineering strategy provides universal guidance for the rational design of high-performance MXene-based electrode materials for next-generation aluminum-ion batteries and other advanced energy storage systems.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026interlayer,
title = {{Interlayer Spacing Expansion and Active Site Engineering of MXene@TiO2 Heterostructures as Robust Cathodes for Rechargeable Aluminum-Ion Batteries}},
author = {Qiongfeng Chen and Wenhui Zhou and Yongshang Zhang and Yongbiao Liu and Linsen Zhang},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31214014},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/4014},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Interlayer Spacing Expansion and Active Site Engineering of MXene@TiO2 Heterostructures as Robust Cathodes for Rechargeable Aluminum-Ion Batteries
AU - Qiongfeng Chen
AU - Wenhui Zhou
AU - Yongshang Zhang
AU - Yongbiao Liu
AU - Linsen Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31214014
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/4014
AB - Aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) have become a highly promising energy storage technology due to their high theoretical capacity, cost-effectiveness, and excellent safety. However, there is still a lack of stable and efficient cathode materials capable of reversibly inserting/extracting aluminum complex ions, which constitutes a key challenge in the field. Herein, we propose a facile and controllable hydrothermal strategy to in situ construct Ti3C2TX MXene@TiO2 heterostructures, and systematically elaborate the regulatory mechanism of hydrothermal temperature and reaction duration on the morphology, interlayer structure, surface chemistry, and electrochemical behaviors of the composites. The results demonstrate that uniformly dispersed anatase TiO2 nanoparticles are anchored on MXene nanosheets, which effectively suppresses layer stacking, expands interlayer spacing from 1.040 nm to 1.344 nm, and synchronously regulates surface terminal groups of MXene. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of expanded ion diffusion channels, abundant pseudocapacitive active sites, and robust heterointerfaces, the optimized Ti3C2Tx@TiO2 electrode delivers a high initial reversible capacity of 243.8 mAh g−1 and maintains a stable capacity of 80 mAh g−1 after 200 consecutive cycles with negligible capacity decay. The proposed structural engineering strategy provides universal guidance for the rational design of high-performance MXene-based electrode materials for next-generation aluminum-ion batteries and other advanced energy storage systems.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -