Moiré Superlattice MXene Nanosheets Constructed from Twisted Hexagon-Ti3AlC2 by Microwave-Assisted Lewis Molten Salt Etching: Implications for Structural Stability in Electrochemical Energy Storage

In order to solve the problem of instability of MXene nanosheet structure in electrochemical energy storage processes, inspired by the moiré superlattice effect of magic angle graphene, a twisted hexagon-Ti3AlC2 precursor was synthesized by an in situ reaction method using the molten pool effect of Lewis acid molten salt. In addition, moiré superlattice MXene Ti3C2 nanosheets with rotating moiré pattern lattice structure were innovatively constructed by the substitution reaction etching of the twisted hexagon-Ti3AlC2 precursor with different ionic Lewis acid salts and microwave-assisted etching. The microstructure evolution of moiré superlattice Ti3C2 nanosheets was characterized by a simple and intuitive method. The atomic arrangement and the rotating moiré pattern were modeled. The formation mechanism and relationship between the rotation angle and rotating moiré pattern were also analyzed. This contributes to the enrichment of the moiré superlattice material family. It is expected to further promote the research progress of MXene nanomaterials in the field of electrochemical energy storage.