MXene–Framework Heterostructures: Interface Engineering and Ion Transport Design for Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage

Two-dimensional MXenes have emerged as one of the most versatile material platforms in battery research, prized for their metallic conductivity, tunable surface chemistry, and rich intercalation behavior. On their own, however, MXene sheets tend to restack during electrode fabrication, which limits accessible surface area and constrains long-term cycling stability. Crystalline and amorphous framework materials, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs), offer a complementary set of properties: precisely tunable porosity, high surface area, and chemically addressable pore walls that can host and direct mobile cations.Pairing these two material classes is what distinguishes this Research Topic. In an MXene–framework heterostructure, the conductive, structurally robust MXene scaffold and the porous, tunable framework work together rather than in isolation, opening a design space for battery electrodes and electrolytes that neither component reaches alone. Realizing this potential depends on understanding and controlling what happens at the interface between the two, since interfacial bonding, charge transfer, and pore accessibility ultimately determine whether the hybrid outperforms its individual constituents. MXene surface termination chemistry and defect structure add a further layer of control, directly influencing how these interfaces form and perform electrochemically.This Research Topic focuses on the design, synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical performance of MXene–framework heterostructures, with batteries (lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and multivalent chemistries) as the primary application focus and supercapacitors and hybrid storage devices welcome where the framework-interface question is central. It aims to bring together researchers working on synthetic chemistry, interfacial engineering, ion transport, operando characterization, and computational modeling to build a clearer, mechanistic picture of how these hybrid architectures function and how they can be optimized.Particular emphasis will be placed on studies that connect interface structure and chemistry to measurable outcomes in conductivity, cycling stability, and mechanical robustness; on operando and in situ studies that capture how these interfaces evolve during electrochemical cycling; and on work extending these heterostructures into solid-state and quasi-solid electrolyte systems.To gather further insights into this field, we welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:—Synthesis and interfacial molecular engineering of MOF-MXene, COF-MXene, and CTF-MXene heterostructures for battery electrodes and hybrid energy storage devices—Ion transport mechanisms and mobile cation guest dynamics (Li⁺, Na⁺, Zn²⁺, Mg²⁺) within MXene-framework hybrid architectures—Interface engineering strategies for enhancing conductivity, cycling stability, and structural robustness in hybrid materials—MXene surface termination chemistry and defect engineering, and their role in interfacial bonding and electrochemical performance—Operando and in situ characterization of interface evolution and degradation during electrochemical cycling—Solid-state and quasi-solid electrolyte design incorporating MXene-framework composites—Computational and theoretical insights into charge transfer and ion mobility at MXene-framework interfaces, including first-principles studies, multiscale simulations, and AI-guided materials discovery Topic editors: Mousumi Garai, Gouri Tudu, Zakir Ullah Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85179/mxene-framework-heterostructures-interface-engineering-and-ion-transport-design-for-advanced-electrochemical-energy-storage