PAN carbonization-derived MXene/C electrodes: Fabrication and electrochemical performance

Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene holds great promise as an electrode material for electrochemical energy storage, but its practical application is often limited by the restacking of nanosheets, which impedes ion accessibility and rate capability. Herein, a simple in-situ carbonization strategy using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is developed to fabricate MXene/C composite electrodes. During pyrolysis, PAN transforms into N-doped amorphous carbon, which not only spacers and bridges adjacent Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene lamellae but also introduces porosity, thereby enlarging the interlayer spacing and forming a permeable mesoporous network while maintaining efficient electron transport. Electrochemical evaluation identifies 600 °C as the optimal carbonization temperature, leading to surface-capacitive-dominated charge storage with enhanced ion diffusion kinetics. By optimizing the composition, the composite with 20 wt% PAN achieves a specific capacitance of 237.75 F g -1 at 1 A g -1 , along with significantly improved rate performance and cycling stability compared to the pristine MXene electrode. This polymer-derived carbon intercalation approach offers a straightforward and effective route for tailoring the MXene interlayer structure, facilitating the rational design of high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.