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

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.