@article{Zhang2025, 
author = {Guanglei Zhang and Jiacheng Fan and Jilin Gou and Xiaole Zhao and Jingdi Shang and Libo Wang and Yukai Chang and Aiguo Zhou},
title = {Boosting the performance of sodium vanadate as cathode of flexible zinc-ion batteries by incorporating MXenes},
year = {2025},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {18},
number = {10},
pages = {94907786},
keywords = {MXene, zinc-ion batteries, sodium vanadate},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94907786},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2025.94907786},
abstract = {Herein, we propose an innovative flexible cathode design for zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) through the strategic integration of sodium vanadate (NaV3O8·1.5H2O) with two-dimensional MXene nanosheets (Ti3C2 or Mo2C). The composite architecture leverages MXene’s dual advantages of exceptional electrical conductivity and surface hydrophilicity to significantly enhance the electrochemical performance of the vanadate host. The NaV3O8·1.5H2O was synthesized through a reaction between V2O5 and NaCl aqueous solution, followed by hybridization with MXene in NaCl solution. When configured into full cells with zinc foil anode and 3 M Zn(CF3SO3)2 electrolyte, the optimized composite with 11 wt.% Ti3C2 MXene demonstrates remarkable electrochemical enhancement, delivering a specific capacity of 339.6 mAh/g at 1 A/g, a 30.86% improvement over pristine NaV3O8·1.5H2O (259.5 mAh/g). The MXene-modified cathode exhibits extraordinary cycling stability with near 100% capacity retention after 3800 cycles at 3 A/g, outperforming the pure vanadate counterpart that degrades to 103.6 mAh/g after only 2000 cycles. A capacity improvement, the incorporation of MXene also increases the structural stability of the cathode during flexible test cycles. It maintains a capacity of 227.9 mAh/g at 1 A/g under extreme 90° bending/twisting deformations. This synergistic combination of high energy density (381.5 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g), ultralong cycle life, and mechanical endurance positions the MXene-vanadate composite as a promising candidate for next-generation flexible energy storage systems.}
}