MXene coated flexible carbon cloth and its electrochemical performance

Abstract

Flexible energy storage devices made from natural fiber braids have garnered significant attention due to their abundant availability， low cost， and mature and reliable structural design. However， these natural fiber materials typically suffer from low specific surface area and energy storage density. To address this issue， this study employs a multi-step treatment method， such as incorporating high-temperature carbonization， heterogeneous element doping， strong alkali etching， and MXene electrochemical active material coating，to treat commercial cotton fabrics. The effects of these multi-step treatments on the materials are explored through analyses of their chemical composition， microscopic morphology， microporous structure， and energy storage behavior. The results show that after multi-step treatment， the material maintains a good flexible characteristic， realizes the co-doping of N and S elements， and improves the microstructure of the carbon cloth material. Specifically， the average pore size on the surface of the carbon cloth decreases from 36.44 nm to 2.03 nm， while its specific surface area increased dramatically from 1.78 m²/g to 1043.37 m²/g， representing an increase of 58516%. Additionally， the total pore volume rises from 0.0162 mL/g to 0.53 mL/g. Following complex treatment， the carbon cloth achieves high specific capacitance of 530.83 F/g. However， the material still faces challenges regarding poor rate capability and unstable energy storage performance， which require further improvement in subsequent studies. This research outlines directions and provides technical and theoretical references for enhancing the energy storage performance of flexible carbon-based materials.

Keywords

• cotton
• flexibility
• energy storage
• capacitor
• mxene
• carbon material