Self-assembly synthesis of petal-like MoS2/Co9S8/carbon nanohybrids for enhanced lithium storage performance

Transition metal sulfides are favored as anode materials for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacities and abundant natural resources. However, serious volume changes during charging and discharging pose great challenges to their stability. In this work, petal-like MoS 2 /Co 9 S 8 /C nanohybrids were synthesized via the immobilization of molybdyl acetoacetonate MoO 2 (acac) 2 in ZIF-67 and subsequent combined vulcanization and thermolysis process. Benefiting from the homogeneous bimetallic sulfide and highly conductive carbon layer, the as-obtained MoS 2 /Co 9 S 8 /C nanohybrids exhibited a high initial discharge capacity of 988.3 mAh g −1 at 200 mA g −1 and a capacity retention > 99.9% after 50 cycles. Even at a high current density of 1000 mA g −1 , the reversible capacity of MoS 2 /Co 9 S 8 /C is still as high as 754.6 mAh g −1 , revealing extraordinary rate ability. This work can provide a general approach to design and synthesize other advanced bimetallic chalcogenides for boosting lithium-ion batteries storage performance.