Nanosized MoSe2@Carbon Matrix: A Stable Host Material for the Highly Reversible Storage of Potassium and Aluminum Ions

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces 2019-11, Vol.11 (47), p.44333-44341
• Main Authors: Zhao, Zhongchen, Hu, Zhengqiang, Liang, Huanyu, Li, Shandong, Wang, Haotian, Gao, Fei, Sang, Xiancheng, Li, Hongsen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b16155

Owing to their low cost and abundant reserves relative to conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), and aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) have shown appealing potential for electrochemical energy storage, but progress so far has been limited by the lack of suitable electrode materials. In this work, we demonstrated a facile strategy to achieve highly reversible potassium and aluminum ions storage in strongly coupled nanosized MoSe2@carbon matrix, induced through an ion complexation strategy. We present a broad range of electrochemical characterization of the synthesized product that exhibits high specific capacities, good rate capability, and excellent cycling stability toward PIBs and AIBs. Through a series of systematic ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the Al3+ intercalation mechanism of MoSe2-based AIBs are elucidated. Moreover, both the assembled PIBs and AIBs worked well when exposed to low and high temperatures within the range of −10 to 50 °C, showing promise for energy storage devices in harsh environment. The present study provides new insights into the exploration of MoSe2 as high-performance electrode materials for PIBs and AIBs.