Synthesis of Nanoflower-Shaped MXene Derivative with Unexpected Catalytic Activity for Dehydrogenation of Sodium Alanates.

Surface group modification and functionalization of two-dimensional materials in many cases are deemed as effective approaches to achieve some distinctive properties. Herein, we present a new nanoflower-shaped TiO2/C composite which was synthesized by in situ alcoholysis of two-dimensional layered MXene (Ti3C2(OHxF1-x)2) in a dilute HF solution (0.5 wt %) for the first time. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that it bestows a strong catalytic activity for the dehydrogenation of NaAlH4. The results show that the NaAlH4 containing 10 wt % A0.9R0.1-TiO2/C (containing 90% anatase TiO2 and 10% rutile TiO2) composite merely took ∼85 min to reach a stable and maximum dehydrogenation capacity of ∼3.08 wt % at 100 °C, and it maintains stable after ten cycles, which is the best Ti-based catalyst for the dehydrogenation of NaAlH4 reported so far. Theoretical calculation confirms that this C-doping TiO2 crystals remarkably decreases desorption energy barrier of Al-H bonding in NaAlH4, accelerating the breakdown of Al-H bonding. This finding raises the potential for development and application of new fuel cells.