Nitrogen‐Doped Graphene‐Like Carbon Intercalated MXene Heterostructure Electrodes for Enhanced Sodium‐ and Lithium‐Ion Storage

Abstract MXene is investigated as an electrode material for different energy storage systems due to layered structures and metal‐like electrical conductivity. Experimental results show MXenes possess excellent cycling performance as anode materials, especially at large current densities. However, the reversible capacity is relatively low, which is a significant barrier to meeting the demands of industrial applications. This work synthesizes N‐doped graphene‐like carbon (NGC) intercalated Ti 3 C 2 T x (NGC‐Ti 3 C 2 T x ) van der Waals heterostructure by an in situ method. The as‐prepared NGC‐Ti 3 C 2 T x van der Waals heterostructure is employed as sodium‐ion and lithium‐ion battery electrodes. For sodium‐ion batteries, a reversible specific capacity of 305 mAh g −1 is achieved at a specific current of 20 mA g −1 , 2.3 times higher than that of Ti 3 C 2 T x . For lithium‐ion batteries, a reversible capacity of 400 mAh g −1 at a specific current of 20 mA g −1 is 1.5 times higher than that of Ti 3 C 2 T x . Both sodium‐ion and lithium‐ion batteries made from NGC‐Ti 3 C 2 T x shows high cycling stability. The theoretical calculations also verify the remarkable improvement in battery capacity within the NGC‐Ti 3 C 2 O 2 system, attributed to the additional adsorption of working ions at the edge states of NGC. This work offers an innovative way to synthesize a new van der Waals heterostructure and provides a new route to improve the electrochemical performance significantly.