Interface Engineering of Hierarchical MoS₂/ZnS/C Heterostructures as Anode Materials for Highly Improved Lithium Storage Capability

Abstract

Constructing hybrid heterostructures of transition-metal dichalcogenides is an effective strategy to enhance their electrochemical performance and stability as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. In this work, a facile in situ strategy was developed to engineer lattice-mismatched MoS2–ZnS together with C into hierarchical nanostructures. The three-dimensional architecture was constructed using few-layer MoS2 nanosheets as the building block, and ZnS and C coexisted among the MoS2 nanosheets with a mesoporous structure. By the synergy effect of integrated interfaces and hierarchical configuration, as-formed heterostructures exhibit increased conductivity, enhanced e–/Li+ transfer efficiency, and retarded volume expansion during the electrochemical process. All of these contribute to the greatly increased lithium storage capability and well-preserved stability. Impressively, as-obtained materials exhibit a high lithium storage capacity of 961.9 mA g–1 at 100 mA g–1 after 100 cycles (about 3.1 times higher than pristine MoS2 after 35 cycles), good rate retention, and superior cycling stability with 9.5% decay. Therefore, the proposed strategy provides a favorable direction for developing high-activity and low-cost electrode materials with potential applications in electrochemical fields.