Confining Ti2NbC2TxMXene in carbon nanofibers to boost lithium-ion storage.

Lithium-ion batteries face challenges in achieving high energy density and long cycle life, due to limitations of conventional anode materials. MXenes, a class of two-dimensional materials, show great potential as anodes but suffer from low intrinsic capacity and severe nanosheet self-stacking. To overcome these issues, this study developed a double transition metal MXene, Ti2NbC2Tx, which offers enlarged interlayer spacing and high electrical conductivity. To further address the self-stacking issue, a Ti2NbC2Tx@CNFs (carbon nanofibers) composite was fabricated via electrospinning and subsequent carbonization. This structure uniformly embedded the MXene within a continuous conductive carbon matrix, effectively inhibiting self-stacking and facilitating electron/ion transport. As a lithium-ion battery anode, the composite demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance. A reversible capacity of 246.5 mAh g-1was retained after 7000 cycles at a high current density of 5 A g-1, demonstrating outstanding specific capacity and cycling stability. This work provides a viable strategy for developing high-performance MXene-based anodes for next-generation energy storage.