Interlayer-Expanded MoS₂/N-Doped Carbon with Three-Dimensional Hierarchical Architecture as a Cathode Material for High-Performance Aluminum-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) have drawn remarkable attention because of the large capacity, inexpensiveness, and abundance of Al in nature. However, the low capacity and poor cycle life of the cathode materials tremendously hinder their development. The fabrication of interlayer-expanded MoS2/N-doped carbon (MNC) with a three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical tremella structure through a hydrothermal treatment and calcination is described in this work. As cathode materials, MNC shows decent capacity and superior cycle stability. Remarkably, the MNC electrode presents a capacity as high as 191.2 mAh g–1, following 450 cycles with a current density of 0.5 A g–1. Moreover, the MNC electrode presents a specific capacity of 127.5 mAh g–1, following 1700 cycles at 1A g–1, and the associated Coulomb efficiency reaches 99.5%. The unique 3D hierarchical structure and interlayer spacing, which reach up to 0.82 nm, reduce the diffusion path for Al3+, boost the diffusion of Al3+, and provide more active sites. Meanwhile, N-doped carbon is beneficial to promote electronic conductivity and maintaining structural integrity during cycles. The insertion and extraction mechanism of Al3+ in MNC has been put forward and confirmed to understand its outstanding electrochemical performance. This study exhibits a strategy to obtain advanced AIB electrode materials through 3D hierarchical architecture design.

Cathode Choices for Rechargeable Aluminium Batteries: The Past Decade and Future

“…Compositing metal chalcogenides with carbon was proved to be a feasible pathway to improve both cyclic stability and rate performance. [68][69][70][71][72][73] In metal chalcogenide/carbon hybrids, the carbon can not only function as physical support for metal chalcogenide to buffer its volume change during battery operation and protect active species from dissolution, but also enhance the charge/ion transport to facilitate the redox kinetics. Wang's group prepared a CoSe 2 @carbon nanodice (C-ND) hybrid material to work as the cathode for RABs, exhibiting a high discharge capacity of 529 mAh g −1 at 1 A g −1 .…”

High Performance and Long‐cycle Life Rechargeable Aluminum Ion Battery: Recent Progress, Perspectives and Challenges

“…Significantly enhanced AIBs properties with a high specific capacity, better rate capability, and long-term cycle stability are accomplished using the multi-layer structured FeS 2 @C. [186] MoS 2 has a 0.62 nm interlayer gap, and its unusual SÀ Mo-S sandwich structure may be separated using a weak Van der Waals force, allowing for Al 3 + insertion and facilitating electron and ion transmission. Guo and co-workers [187] reported a simple method for combining the three above-mentioned strategies and fabricating an interlayer-expanded MoS 2 nanosheet/N-doped carbon (MNC) with a 3D hierarchical tremella structure via a hydrothermal reaction and calcination to improve the electrochemical performance of MoS 2 . As a result, MNC with the tremella structure exhibits exceptional cycling capability and high discharge capacity with 191.2 mAh g À 1 after 450 cycles at 500 mA g À 1 and 127.5 mAh g À 1 after 1700 cycles at 1000 mA g À 1 , indicating that MNC has the potential to be an advanced electrochemical cathode material for AIBs.…”

Synthesis of MoS2-based nanostructures and their applications in rechargeable ion batteries, catalysts and gas sensors: a review

“…In order to overcome the defects of MoS 2 and achieve the improved electrochemical performance of AIBs, another method is to use N-doped carbon materials compounded with MoS 2 as a cathode material for AIBs. Guo et al 49 synthesized interlayer-expanded MoS 2 /N-doped carbon (MNC) with a three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical structure by a hydrothermal method and calcination. Fig.…”