Researchers at the Drexel College of Engineering present a new kind of battery electrode made with MXene, a highly conductive nanomaterial promising faster charging chemical batteries.
The MXene material is nearly two dimensional material similar to a sandwich. It combines oxide "bread" with a conductive carbon and metal "filling," with layers stacked on top of each other like a Pringles. However the structure, while highly conductive, makes it difficult for ions, the chemical carriers of charge, to diffuse to through the battery. To resolve the issue, the researchers combined the MXene with a hydrogel, turning the Pringles into a swiss cheese through which ions can flow freely.
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