Rapid Synthesis of Hierarchically Porous Hydrogel Frameworks Derived From Holey‐Crumpled MXene Dispersion for High‐Voltage Aqueous Supercapacitors
Achieving both high energy storage and superior rate capability in MXene-based aqueous supercapacitors remains challenging. While Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub>-MXene demonstrates exceptional capacitance in H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>, its energy storage is limited by a narrow voltage window (<1 V). In contrast, neutral electrolytes enable a wider voltage window (>1 V), but compromise specific capacitance and rate performance. To overcome this trade-off, we develop an ultrafast microwave-assisted acid etching strategy that produces holey-crumpled MXene dispersions from pristine MXene within minutes. These dispersions are assembled into hierarchically porous MXene hydrogel-electrodes through controlled vacuum filtration in a remarkably short time. In an engineered electrolyte containing LiCl and AlCl<sub>3</sub>, the resulting MXene electrodes exhibit superb pseudocapacitance, delivering a specific capacitance of 248.7 F g<sup>-1</sup> at 10 mV s<sup>-1</sup> and excellent capacitance retention of 60.7% at 2000 mV s<sup>-1</sup> within a wide potential window of 1.3 V. This impressive supercapacitor performance stems from multi-scale porosity that enhances electrolyte infiltration and ion transport, combined with mixed-ion charge storage in LiCl/AlCl<sub>3</sub> electrolyte, where protons and mixed cations synergistically balance pseudocapacitance and rate capability. This work establishes the fastest route to holey MXene dispersions and showcases how structural hierarchy and mixed-ion electrolytes collectively deliver high capacitance and rate performance in MXene supercapacitors.
Authors
- Kanglei Pang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7095-0429)
- Anirban Sikdar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2133-888X)
- Jiayin Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1016-5135)
- Özlem Uğuz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7895-2296)
- Man Qi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8437-9959)
- Mengya Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1055-3528)
Institutions
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2026-02-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202514895
- Primary Topic
- Supercapacitor Materials and Fabrication
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00