Bowl-like C@MoS2 Nanocomposites as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries: Enhanced Stress Buffering and Charge/Mass Transfer

Fabrication of stress-buffered nanostructured electrodes with good mechanical stability and electrical conductivity remains a daunting challenge. Herein, we describe the design and preparation of bowl-like hybrids whereby ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets are anchored on the surfaces of mesoporous hollow carbon bowls (MHCBs). The porous bowl-like structure not only buffers mechanical stress arising from volumetric variation during the charge/discharge process but also increases the packing density of electrode materials by stacking up the carbon bowls. The resulting bowl-like C@MoS2 hybrid structure exhibits a reversible capacity of 798 mA h g–1 at 0.1 A g–1 and outstanding long-term stability at 526 mA h g–1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g–1. Kinetics investigation demonstrates that the Li+ storage is governed by the pseudocapacitive mechanism due to the porous, conductive network of MHCBs.