Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide incorporated Ni2O3-Co3O4@MoS2 hollow nanocubes for high-performance energy storage devices

Abstract

Transitional metal oxide anodes have attracted wide attention toward lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) and supercapacitors (SCs) owing to their high theoretical capacity. However, poor conductivity and huge volume change limit their commercialization. Herein, nitrogen (N)-doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) incorporated Ni2O3-Co3O4@MoS2 hollow composite nanocubes (Ni-Co-Mo@G-N HCNCs) are studied as an anode for LiBs and as a cathode for SCs. The resulting Ni-Co-Mo@G-N HCNCs reveal the cube-like morphology with a hollow structure. The N-doped rGO network can effectively provide a good conductive pathway and also preserve excellent integrity between the active particles. When investigated as the LIB anode, the Ni-Co-Mo@G-N HCNCs exhibit excellent reversibility and good rate capability. Notably, a superior reversible capacity of 1119 mA h g−1 is obtained over 300 cycles (at 0.1 A g−1). This electrode also demonstrates outstanding reversibility and excellent rate capability when operating at 1 and 2 A g−1 over 1000 cycles. Additionally, the Ni-Co-Mo@G-N HCNCs are investigated as a battery-type electrode for SCs, delivering excellent capacity retention of 91.7 %. Owing to the synergic effect of compositional structure, interior hollow structure, and N-doped rGO network for good reversibility and rate capability, the Ni-Co-Mo@G-N HCNCs are very promising for high-performance energy storage device applications.