The hydrothermal synthesis of d-Ti3CN/V2O5 hollow spheres for enhanced supercapacitors applications

In this work, d-Ti3CN MXene was obtained by selective etching of Al from Ti3AlCN by hydrofluoric acid, and a hydrothermal method was employed to prepare d-Ti3CN/V2O5 hollow spheres. The prepared d-Ti3CN/V2O5 hollow spheres showed enhanced electrochemical properties. V2O5 hollow spheres expanded the distance between d-Ti3CN MXene sheets, leading to fast electron transport and improved electrochemical performance of d-Ti3CN/V2O5 hollow spheres. A specific capacitance of 340 F g−1 was achieved at 1 A g−1 current density, which is higher than that of d-Ti3CN MXene (321 F g−1) and V2O5 hollow sphere (155 F g−1). The initial capacitance retention is 89 % after 6000 cycles of constant current charge and discharge at the current density of 10 A g−1. In short, d-Ti3CN/V2O5 hollow spheres show excellent supercapacitor performance regarding specific capacitance and stability. [Display omitted] •d-Ti3CN and V2O5 nanocomposites exhibited improved electrochemical properties.•A specific capacitance of 340 F g−1 was achieved at 1 A g−1 current density.•Capacitance of 321 F g−1 for d-Ti3CN and 155 F g−1 for V2O5 was observed.•After 6000 cycles 89 % capacitance was retained at current density of 10 A g−1.