Interface engineering driven molybdenum disulfide coupled polyaniline functionalized carbon fabric with high mass loading anode for fiber lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Carbon fiber (CF) cloth presents a preeminent substrate for growing numerous active materials, emerging as a promising electrode design in fiber lithium-ion batteries (F-LiBs) for powering future wearable electronics. Nevertheless, the hydrophobic nature of CF affects the interaction between the active materials and CF, leading to inferior battery performance. Herein, we report a polyaniline (PANi) driven interface-engineering approach to address the recurring issue associated with CF. To demonstrate the concept, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a two-dimensional layered anode was grown on PANi-functionalized CF (MoS2/PANi/CF). The nitrogen functionalities of the PANi backbone enriched the surface functionality and facilitated the coupling adhesion between MoS2 and CF. This key feature influenced the charge transport kinetics across the MoS2/CF interface and preserved the structural integrity. More importantly, the strong coordination interaction between MoS2 and PANi improved the growth density of MoS2, resulting in high mass loading. Given these merits, the interfacially coupled MoS2/PANi/CF anode delivered a high specific capacity and enhanced rate and cycling performances. This study verifies the significance of the interface engineering approach, which can be extended to developing wide arrays of flexible electrodes for other wearable battery chemistries.