Yarn ball-like MoS2 nanospheres coated by nitrogen-doped carbon for enhanced lithium and sodium storage performance

MoS2 has been regarded as one of the most promising anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion (LIBs) or sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its unique two-dimensional (2D) layered structure. However, the unsatisfied structure stability and poor electrical conductivity limit the practical application of MoS2. Herein, a hierarchical yarn ball-like MoS2 nanosphere structure coated by N-doped carbon layer (MoS2[email protected]) is successfully developed to improve the structural stability and electrical conductivity of the MoS2 material. When evaluated as anode material for SIBs, the MoS2[email protected] electrode shows an excellent cycling performance of 410.2 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 200 cycles and an ultrahigh rate capability of 352.1 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1. The composite electrode also presents a high cycling capacity of 607.1 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 300 cycles and high rate performance of 356.0 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 when used as anode for LIBs. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to the synergetic effect of the yarn ball-like nanosphere structure and the N-doped carbon layer. This work sheds light on the promising application of the hierarchical MoS2 composite in high-performance lithium-ion or sodium-ion storage system.