Graphene-Coated 1D MoTe2 Nanorods as Anode for Enhancing Lithium-Ion Battery Performance

Abstract

One-dimensional nanostructures (1D) with short ion diffusion distance and fast ion transport path are excellent for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the nature of layered transition metal dichalcogenides makes it difficult to form 1D nanohybrids. Here, the MoTe2 nanorods with an average diameter of 100-200 nm and length of 1-3 μm encapsulated by reduced graphene oxide (MoTe2/rGO) have been fabricated via in-situ reaction of GO coated Mo3O10(C2H10N2) nanowires with Te under Ar/H2 atmosphere. When applied as anode of LIBs, the MoTe2/rGO delivers a high reversible capacity (637 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.2 A g−1), good rate capability (374 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1) and excellent stability (360 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.5 A g−1), which surpasses bare MoTe2 nanorods and bulk MoTe2 crystallite. Furthermore, a lithium-ion full cell constructed by coupling MoTe2/rGO anode and LiCoO2 cathode shows a capacity of 105 mA h g−1 at 0.1 C. The enhanced performance mainly benefits from the advantages of 1D nanostructure, and meanwhile the rGO thin layers are able to improve the conductivity and maintain the structural stability. This work provides a simple pathway for the synthesis of 1D TMDs nanostructures for energy storage and conversion.