Fluoride-Free Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Titanium Carbide (MXene) Using A Binary Aqueous System

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbide (Ti3C2) is emerging as an important member of the MXene family. However, fluoride-based synthetic procedures remain an impediment to the practical applications of this promising class of materials. Here we demonstrate an efficient fluoride-free etching method based on the anodic corrosion of titanium aluminium carbide (Ti3AlC2) in a binary aqueous electrolyte. The dissolution of aluminium followed by in situ intercalation of ammonium hydroxide results in the extraction of carbide flakes (Ti3C2Tx, T=O, OH) with sizes up to 18.6 μm and high yield (over 90 %) of mono- and bilayers. All-solid-state supercapacitor based on exfoliated sheets exhibits high areal and volumetric capacitances of 220 mF cm−2 and 439 F cm−3, respectively, at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1, superior to those of LiF/HCl-etched MXenes. Our strategy paves a safe way to the scalable synthesis and application of MXene materials.