Titanium Carbide (MXene) as a Current Collector for Lithium-Ion Batteries

MXenes are a class of two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal carbides and nitrides that are currently at the forefront of 2D materials research. In this study, we demonstrate the use of metallically conductive free-standing films of 2D titanium carbide (MXene) as current-collecting layers (conductivity of similar to 8000 S/cm, sheet resistance of 0.5 Omega/sq) for battery electrode materials. Multilayer Ti3C2Tx (T-x: surface functional groups -O, -OH and -F) is used as an anode material and LiFePO4 as a cathode material on 5 mu m MXene films. Our results show that the capacities and rate performances of electrode materials using Ti3C2Tx MXene current collectors match those of conventional Cu and Al current collectors, but at significantly reduced device weight and thickness. This study opens new avenues for developing MXene-based current collectors for improving volumetric and gravimetric performances of energy-storage devices.