Electrochemical performance of MXene-based catalysts at positive potentials 

Bar Favelukis, Sukanta Chakrabartty, Noam Eliaz, Maxim Sokol, Brian Rosen

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978001

Transition metal carbides have been widely studied as replacements for carbons as catalyst supports in electrochemical systems. Since the discovery of MXenes in 2011, research into their use in electrochemical systems has attracted much attention since most MXenes are two-dimensional transition metal carbides. MXenes therefore allow for the simultaneous exploitation of the electrochemical properties of transition metal carbides together with those of two dimensional materials. While their activity in many systems shows promise, MXenes are far less durable compared to their bulk metal carbide counterparts, and restricting their degradation is an area of ongoing research. The overwhelming majority of degradation studies are done at potentials below the reversible hydrogen electrode. Here, we study the degradation mechanisms and performance of the titanium-based MXene, Ti3C2Tx, at potentials higher than the reversible hydrogen electrode, in an effort to improve the durability of MXene-based electrodes for a wider array of electrochemical applications while not sacrificing their activity.