Elucidating the Interactions Between Different Transition Metal Cations and Ti₃C₂T_x MXene Through Intercalation Method for Electrochemical Applications

MXenes, are a family of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, nitrides and/ or carbonitrides.[1] The intercalation of different metal cations and organic molecules into MXenes for tuning MXenes’ electronic and electrochemical properties have been widely reported.[2][3][4] However, transition metals (TMs) which have distinct electrochemical behaviors[5][6] have not been explored in the literature of MXenes’ intercalation. Therefore, we herein compared the intercalation effects of different TM cations including (Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺) on Ti₃C₂T_x, for offering a general insight on the influences of multi-valent, redox-active TMs on MXenes. In particular, the changes on the physiochemical and electrochemical properties of MXenes were investigated using different in-situ and ex-situ methods, for a better understanding on the interfacial interactions between TM cations and MXenes in the confined environment of MXenes’ multilayer structures. Additionally, we studied the TM-intercalated MXenes in hydrogen evolution reaction to further explore the their electrocatalytic performances. This work serves as a foundation for the fine-tuning of MXenes’ properties by utilizing a variety of TM cations intercalation for different electrochemical systems.<br/><br/>[1] B. Anasori, M. R. Lukatskaya, Y. Gogotsi, Nature Reviews Materials 2017, 2, 16098.<br/>[2] M. R. Lukatskaya, O. Mashtalir, E. Ren Chang, Y. Dall’Agnese, P. Rozier, L. Taberna Pierre, M. Naguib, P. Simon, M.W. Barsoum, Y. Gogotsi, Science 2013, 341, 1502-1505.<br/>[3] J. Li, H. Wang, X. Xiao, Energy & Environmental Materials 2020, 3, 306-322<br/>[4] M. Ghidiu, S. Kota, J. Halim, A. W. Sherwood, N. Nedfors, J. Rosen, V. N. Mochalin, M. W. Barsoum, Chemistry of Materials 2017, 29, 1099-1106.<br/>[5] D. Göhl, H. Rueß, M. Pander, A. R. Zeradjanin, K. J. J. Mayrhofer, J. M. Schneider, A. Erbe, M. Ledendecker, Journal of The Electrochemical Society 2020, 167, 021501.<br/>[6] M. Esmaeilirad, A. Baskin, A. Kondori, A. Sanz-Matias, J. Qian, B. Song, M. Tamadoni Saray, K. Kucuk, A. R. Belmonte, P. N. M. Delgado, J. Park, R. Azari, C. U. Segre, R. Shahbazian-Yassar, D. Prendergast, M. Asadi, Nature Communications 2021, 12, 5067.