MoS₂/C/C nanofiber with double-layer carbon coating for high cycling stability and rate capability in lithium-ion batteries

MoS₂ has attracted a lot of interest in the field of lithium-ion storage as an anode material owing to its high capacity and two-dimensional (2D)-layer structure. However, its electrochemical properties, such as rate capability and cycling stability, are usually limited by its low conductivity, volume variation, and polysulfide dissolution during lithiation/delithiation cycling. Here, a designed two-layer carbon-coated MoS₂/carbon nanofiber (MoS₂/C/C fiber) hybrid electrode with a double-layer carbon coating was achieved by a facile hydrothermal and subsequent electrospinning method. The double carbon layer (inner amorphous carbon and outer carbon fiber) shells could efficiently increase the electron conductivity, prevent the aggregation of MoS₂ flakes, and limit the volume change and polysulfide loss during long-term cycling. The as-prepared MoS₂/C/C fiber electrode exhibited a high capacity of up to 1,275 mAh/g at a current density of 0.2 A/g, 85.0% first cycle Coulombic efficiency, and significantly increased rate capability and cycling stability. These results demonstrate the potential applications of MoS₂/C/C fiber hybrid material for energy storage and may open up a new avenue for improving electrode energy storage performance by fabricating hybrid nanofiber electrode materials with double-layer carbon coatings. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].