Elucidating the Synergic Effect in Nanoscale MoS₂/TiO₂ Heterointerface for Na‐Ion Storage

Abstract

Interface engineering in electrode materials is an attractive strategy for enhancing charge storage, enabling fast kinetics, and improving cycling stability for energy storage systems. Nevertheless, the performance improvement is usually ambiguously ascribed to the “synergetic effect”, the fundamental understanding toward the effect of the interface at molecular level in composite materials remains elusive. In this work, a well‐defined nanoscale MoS2/TiO2 interface is rationally designed by immobilizing TiO2 nanocrystals on MoS2 nanosheets. The role of heterostructure interface between TiO2 and MoS2 by operando synchrotron X‐ray diffraction (sXRD), solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance, and density functional theory calculations is investigated. It is found that the existence of a hetero‐interfacial electric field can promote charge transfer kinetics. Based on operando sXRD, it is revealed that the heterostructure follows a solid‐solution reaction mechanism with small volume changes during cycling. As such, the electrode demonstrates ultrafast Na+ ions storage of 300 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 and excellent reversible capacity of 540 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1. This work provides significant insights into understanding of heterostructure interface at molecular level, which suggests new strategies for creating unconventional nanocomposite electrode materials for energy storage systems.

Nonaqueous Liquid Electrolytes for Sodium‐Ion Batteries: Fundamentals, Progress and Perspectives

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Interface Density Engineering on Heterogeneous Molybdenum Dichalcogenides Enabling Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis and Sodium Ion Storage

“…[11,24] The formation of heterointerfaces is also reported to enhance the performances of sodium ion storage greatly. [16,21,[25][26][27][28] "Ion reservoirs" were formed at the interfaces of Fe 1-x S/MoS 2 heterostructures with reduced Na + diffusion barrier, thus achieving excellent rate capability for SIB. [29] Besides, walnut-like MoS 2 @SnS heterostructures afforded superior SIB performances to original MoS 2 because the built-in electric field at the interfaces greatly enhanced charge transfer and Na + diffusion kinetics.…”

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