Intercalation Engineering of MXene via Nickel Hydrothermal Treatment for Anti-Restacking and High-Stability Hybrid Supercapacitors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48048/tis.2026.11796Keywords:
MXene, Intercalation nickel (Ni), Self-restacking, Supercapacitor, Activated carbonAbstract
Intercalation engineering of MXene via nickel hydrothermal treatment was investigated to improve interlayer spacing, prevent restacking, and enhance the electrochemical performance of hybrid supercapacitors. MXene was synthesized by etching the aluminum layer from the MAX phase, and nickel was successfully intercalated between the layers using a hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed an increase in d-spacing from 9.94 Å for pristine MXene to 13.01 Å for MXN2, confirming effective suppression of restacking. The specific surface area of MXN2 reached 35.27 m2 g−1, significantly higher than pristine MXene (3.96 m2 g−1). Electrochemical testing showed MXN2 achieved a specific capacitance of 118.9 F g−1 in a 3-electrode system, and 60.03 F g−1 in a 2-electrode coin cell, with an energy density of 6.48 Wh kg−1 and excellent cycling stability (97.47% retention after 1,000 cycles). These findings demonstrate that nickel intercalation significantly enhances MXene’s structural and electrochemical properties, making MXN2 a promising material for high-stability hybrid supercapacitors.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Revolutionary Surface Area Increase: Nickel intercalation via hydrothermal method dramatically expands the MXene interlayer spacing, boosting the specific surface area by ~890% (from 3.96 to 35.27 m2 g−1).
- Superior Hybrid Performance: The AC/MXene-Ni symmetric electrode delivers an outstanding specific capacitance of 96.37 F g−1, nearly 3 times higher than the AC/MXene counterpart (35.66 F g−1).
- Unmatched Long-Term Stability: The device demonstrates exceptional cycling durability, retaining 97.5% of its initial capacitance after 1,000 cycles, a critical advantage for practical applications.
- Successful Symmetric Device Fabrication: The research successfully translates the material innovation into a working symmetric coin cell supercapacitor, validating its practical feasibility.
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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