Effect of mass loading and fabrication of VARTM-based high-performance solid-state supercapacitor device with MXene-NiCo3S4 nanocomposite

Transition metal sulfides with binary compositions have recently regained attention as promising electrode materials for supercapacitors with high energy density. However, their electrochemical performance suffers significantly as mass loading increases due to their limited electrical and ionic conductivities, which restrict their practical energy output. This study used a one-pot hydrothermal process to synthesize NiCo3S4 nanoparticles directly onto a two-dimensional Ti3C2 (Mxene) surface, forming MXene-NiCo3S4 nanocomposites (NCs). Through electrostatic interaction, positively charged nickel ions and negatively charged Mxene enable uniform dispersion of NiCo3S4 on Ti3C2. We investigated the effect of mass loading of Mxene-NiCo3S4 NCs electrodes on a carbon woven fiber substrate. It was observed that increasing the mass loading of MXene-NiCo₃S₄ NCs electrodes from 1.2 mg/cm2 to 2.8 mg/cm2 resulted in an initial increase in specific capacitance, followed by a decrease, with the optimal specific capacitance achieved at 2.5 mg/cm2. The resulting electrode shows remarkable areal capacitance, reaching 0.862 F cm−2 at 0.58 mA cm−2 in neutral aqueous electrolytes using Mxene-NiCo3S4 NCs. Moreover, we demonstrate practical applicability by integrating MXene-NiCo3S4 NCs onto woven carbon fiber and fabricating a symmetric supercapacitor device using the VARTM technique with polyvinyl alcohol-EMIBF4 gel electrolyte as the electrolyte and electrode separator. This device achieves a specific capacitance of 0.30 F /cm2 at 2.4 mA/cm2, along with a maximum energy density of 69.42 Wh/kg at a power density of 1000 W/kg while maintaining excellent cycle stability for up to 10,000 cycles with 91 % retention of its initial capacitance. Findings at lower mass loadings reveal mechanisms that limit performance in thicker electrodes, such as enhanced ion transport and reduced resistance. This knowledge informs the design of high-mass loading electrodes by addressing issues like poor electrolyte penetration and sluggish ion dynamics. Future work will build on these insights to optimize high-mass loading configurations for practical applications, bridging the gap between laboratory results and industrial use. •MXene-NiCo3S4 NCs synthesized via one-pot hydrothermal process.•Investigating MXene-NiCo3S4 NCs' mass loading on carbon substrate•MXene-NiCo3S4 NCs grown on carbon fiber VARTM technique used for supercapacitor.•The VARTM-based supercapacitor achieved 0.30 F/cm2 at 2.4 mA/cm2.