Boosting capacitive deionization of monovalent and hardness ions using Ti3C2Tx MXene as an intercalation-type pseudocapacitive electrode

MXene is a promising electrode material for energy storage and capacitive deionization (CDI) applications. In this study, a viable approach was developed to synthesize Ti3C2Tx at different LiF/Ti3AlC2 mass ratios of 0.5 – 2.0 for the enhanced CDI to remove different cations including hardness (Mg2+ and Ca2+), salt (Na+), and ammonium (NH4+) ions. The Ti3C2Tx was fabricated using the hydrothermal method in the presence of LiF and HCl. The optimal mass ratio of 1.0 results in the formation of hydrophilic and well-delaminated nanosheets. Moreover, the Ti3C2Tx-1 shows an interconnected meso-macroporous structure with a specific surface area of 48.4 m2/g. The Ti3C2Tx MXene exhibits an exceptional electrochemical performance with a specific capacitance of 540 F g−1 at 5 mV s−1 in the presence of 1 M H2SO4. A remarkable desalination performance with the salt adsorption capacity (SAC) of 39.7 mg g−1 is obtained. The well-suited lattice fringe and inter-connected porous structure of the Ti3C2Tx nanosheets accelerate the electron transport, which can maintain the cyclability over 50 cycles. This enhanced electron transport leads to an improved deionization capability during the CDI process. Moreover, the Ti3C2Tx-based CDI device exhibits prominent selectivity for hardness ions with SACs of 43.8 and 39.5 mg g−1 for Ca2+ and Mg2+, respectively. The SAC of NH4+ can also be up of 39.7 mg g−1 at 1000 mg L−1. Results in this study clearly elaborate the promising potentiality for the utilization of MXene as an effective electrode material for desalination and other electrochemical applications.