Facile Synthesis of Molybdenum Disulfide/Carbon Nanocomposites in Polyacrylic Acid Hydrogel as Anode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)/carbon nanocomposites are grown in a polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel system via a facile hydrothermal process and carbonization of PAA by heat treatment under an argon atmosphere. The content of the MoS2 electrode material can be controlled effectively by adjusting the immersing time of the MoS2 precursor with PAA hydrogel. The MoS2/carbon nanocomposites containing MoS2 nanosheets are uniformly embedded in a 3D interconnected network carbon matrix. The unique network structure as a nano/microreactor to produce MoS2 nanosheets contributes to suppressing the aggregation of MoS2 nanosheets and improving the conductivity of nanocomposites. The MoS2/carbon nanocomposites demonstrate a good cycling stability and superior rate performance. A facile and low‐cost synthesis method is chosen based on a polyacrylic acid hydrogel system to synthesize molybdenum disulfide/carbon nanocomposites. When used as a promising anode material for lithium‐ion batteries, the nanocomposites exhibits high first coulombic efficiency, high specific capacity, good cycling stability, and superior rate performance.