Guest–host interactions and their impacts on structure and performance of nano-MoS₂

Abstract

Different guest species, including amorphous carbon, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), ethylene diaminetrimolybdate (EDA) derived small molecules, have been successfully intercalated into a nano-scaled MoS2 (nano-MoS2). These guest species bridge the MoS2 slabs through chemical bonding and their host-guest interactions influence the structure and electrochemical performance of the nano-MoS2. When applied in lithium (Li) and sodium (Na) ion batteries, these MoS2 nanostructures exhibit distinguished intercalation thermodynamics and cycling performances. These findings shed light on the design of MoS2 nanostructures and other two-dimensional layer-structured materials.