Carbon Microtube Textile with MoS₂ Nanosheets Grown on Both Outer and Inner Walls as Multifunctional Interlayer for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Abstract

Abstract The shuttle effect of soluble lithium polysulfides during the charge/discharge process is the key bottleneck hindering the practical application of lithium–sulfur batteries. Herein, a multifunctional interlayer is developed by growing metallic molybdenum disulfide nanosheets on both outer and inner walls of cotton cloth derived carbon microtube textile (MoS 2 @CMT). The hollow structure of CMT provides channels to favor electrolyte penetration, Li + diffusion and restrains polysulfides via physical confinement. The hydrophilic and conductive 1T‐MoS 2 nanosheets facilitate chemisorption and kinetic behavior of polysulfides. The synergic effect of 1T‐MoS 2 nanosheets and CMT affords the MoS 2 @CMT interlayer with an efficient trapping‐diffusion‐conversion ability toward polysulfides. Therefore, the cell with the MoS 2 @CMT interlayer exhibits enhanced cycling life (765 mAh g −1 after 500 cycles at 0.5 C) and rate performance (974 mAh g −1 at 2 C and 740 mAh g −1 at 5 C). This study presents a pathway to develop low‐cost multifunctional interlayers for advanced lithium–sulfur batteries.