Hierarchical Co3S4/CoS/MoS2 leaf-like nanoflakes array derived from Co-ZIF-L as an advanced anode for flexible supercapacitor

•Hierarchical Co3S4/CoS/MoS2 array is synthesized with Co-ZIF-L as a precursor.•The Co3S4/CoS/MoS2 array possesses a leaf-like planar size with ultrahigh roughness.•Optimal structure and electrochemical performance of Co3S4/CoS/MoS2 are achieved.•The electrode has high capacitance, long lifespan, and great Coulombic efficiency. Two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum sulfide has been considered a promising electrode material for high-performance supercapacitor owing to its superior electrochemical properties. However, molybdenum sulfide suffers from severe layers stacking and agglomeration, which lower the number of electrochemically active sites along the basal plane and result in dramatic and fast fading of capacity upon cycling and low Coulombic efficiencies. Herein, we fabricated the hierarchical Co3S4/CoS/MoS2 nanoflakes array grow on carbon cloth via a new scalable technique using the leaf-like Co-ZIF-L as a precursor. An optimal structure and electrochemical performance of the hierarchical nanomaterial are achieved after tune the stoichiometric ratio of the reactors. Due to the unique morphology, plenty of macropores, and vast of active sites, the hierarchical bimetallic sulfides nanoflakes array as an electrode not only present high specific capacitances (805.7 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) but also long cycle lifespan (91.2% of the initial value after 6000 cycles) and 100% of Coulombic efficiency. The strategy developed here can be further extended to design and construct other advanced heterostructure metal sulfides electrode materials for highly efficient energy storage and conversion applications, such as electrocatalysts, metal-ions batteries, and fuel cells.