Metal Ion Cutting-Assisted Synthesis of Defect-Rich MoS2 Nanosheets for High-Rate and Ultrastable Li2S Catalytic Deposition

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces 2022-08, Vol.14 (33), p.37771-37781
• Main Authors: Liu, Qian Yu, Sun, Guo Wen, Pan, Jiang Long, Wang, Shi Kun, Zhang, Chao Yue, Wang, Yan Chun, Gao, Xiu Ping, Sun, Geng Zhi, Zhang, Zhen Xing, Pan, Xiao Jun, Zhou, Jin Yuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Energy, Environmental, and Catalysis Applications
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c09176

Active metal ions often show a strong cutting effect on the chemical bonds during high-temperature thermal processes. Herein, a one-pot metal ion cutting-assisted method was adopted to design defect-rich MoS2–x nanosheet (NS)/ZnS nanoparticle (NP) heterojunction composites on carbon nanofiber skeletons (CNF@MoS2–x /ZnS) via a simple Ar-ambience annealing. Results show that Zn2+ ions capture S2– ions from MoS2 and form into ZnS NPs, and the MoS2 NSs lose S2– ions and become MoS2–x ones. As sulfur hosts for lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs), the CNF@MoS2–x /ZnS–S cathodes deliver a high reversible capacity of 1233 mA h g–1 at 0.1 C and keep 944 mA h g–1 at 3 C. Moreover, the cathodes also show an extremely low decay rate of 0.012% for 900 cycles at 2 C. Series of analysis indicate that the MoS2–x NSs significantly improve the chemisorption and catalyze the kinetic process of redox reactions of lithium polysulfides, and the heterojunctions between MoS2–x NSs and ZnS NPs further accelerate the transport of electrons and the diffusion of Li+ ions. Besides, the CNF@MoS2–x /ZnS–S LSBs also show an ultralow self-discharge rate of 1.1% in voltage. This research would give some new insights for the design of defect-rich electrode materials for high-performance energy storage devices.