Hollow MoS2/rGO composites as high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

As a representative of transition metal sulfides, MoS2 has a graphene-like structure and has recently been widely used as an anode in lithium ion batteries. However, the disadvantages of poor electrical conductivity and cycle performance limit its application. Here, hollow MoS2/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method using polystyrene microspheres as hard templates. The hollow MoS2 microspheres with a size of about 180 nm are distributed on the surface of graphene sheets. The hollow MoS2/rGO composites exhibit superior electrochemical properties as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries compared with the hollow MoS2 microspheres. They show a high reversible capacity of 752.4 mAh g−1 at 500 mA g−1 after 100 cycles with negligible decay as well as a high-rate performance (620.8 mA h g−1, 1 A g−1). The excellent lithium storage performance of the hollow MoS2/rGO composites can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the hollow MoS2 microspheres and graphene sheets. Graphene effectively suppresses the agglomeration of the MoS2 and maintain the structural stability of the material.