A study on the synthesis of MoS2/rGO and the investigation of their charge-discharge properties when used as cathode material in a rechargeable Zn-ion battery

Recently, rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries have attracted much attention and are potential candidates for grid storage applications because of their low cost and safety. However, to approach practical applications, suitable cathode materials must be developed. As a two-dimensional layered material, MoS2-based materials are very potential candidates. Herein, MoS2/rGO materials were synthesized by hydrothermal method and then the charge-discharge properties of the fabricated materials were investigated when they are used as cathode materials for rechargeable Zn-ion batteries. The MoS2/rGO has an expanded interlayer, which achieves a high initial capacity of about 170 mAh/g but does not have a high stability. In contrast, the MoS2-KOA has a low capacity but is very stable, even after 200 charge/discharge cycles. This study has shown the advantages and disadvantages of MoS2-based materials with expanded interlayer and suggests further work to find methods to stabilize the expanded interlayer to increase the charge/discharge stability.