Preparation of the urchin-like structured Ti3C2@CNTs for high-performance lithium storage and microwave absorbers.

Two-dimensional (2D) MXene-based materials are gained significant attention as a prospective anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their superior metallic conductivity, high volumetric capacitance, and thermal stability. However, the unsatisfactory electrochemical performance of MXene-based anodes essentially restricts their practical use attributed to the prevalent interlayer stacking. The urchin-like Ti 3 C 2 @CNTs involve grafting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto the 3D hollow MXene via catalytic growth could promise to overcome this obstacle. As conductive bridges, the CNTs further expedite the exchange of charges at the interface, resulting in improved electrochemical kinetics of the composite, which exhibits a high specific capacity of 286.2 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 2000 cycles. Beneficial from the well-designed architecture, outstanding microwave absorption was achieved with the optimal reflection loss of −48.1 dB covering the C band. This study proposed a practical strategy for fabricating the Ti 3 C 2 @CNTs composite in high-performance lithium-ion batteries and microwave absorbers. • An effective strategy is to prepare a 3D urchin-like Ti 3 C 2 @CNTs composite. • The 3D Ti 3 C 2 @CNTs electrode displays a high specific capacity of 286.2 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 2000 cycles. • The composite exhibits outstanding microwave absorption with the optimal reflection loss of –48.1 dB covering the C band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]