Thin MoS₂ Nanoflakes Encapsulated in Carbon\nNanofibers as High-Performance Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

In this work, highly flexible MoS₂-based lithium-ion battery anodes composed of disordered thin\nMoS₂ nanoflakes encapsulated in amorphous carbon nanofibrous\nmats were fabricated for the first time through hydrothermal synthesis\nof graphene-like MoS₂, followed by electrospinning and\ncarbonization. X-ray diffraction as well as scanning and transmission\nelectron microscopic studies show that the as-synthesized MoS₂ nanoflakes have a thickness of about 5 nm with an expanded\ninterlayer spacing, and their structure and morphology are well-retained\nafter the electrospinning and carbonization. At relatively low MoS₂ contents, the nanoflakes are dispersed and well-embedded\nin the carbon nanofibers. Consequently, excellent electrochemical\nperformance, including good cyclability and high rate capacity, was\nachieved with the hybrid nanofibrous mat at the MoS₂ content\nof 47%, which may be attributed to the fine thickness and multilayered\nstructure of the MoS₂ sheets with an expanded interlayer\nspacing, the good charge conduction provided by the high-aspect-ratio\ncarbon nanofibers, and the robustness of the nanofibrous mat.