Synthesis of porous NiS thin films on Ni foam substrate via an electrodeposition route and its application in lithium-ion batteries

The porous NiS thin films on Ni foam substrate were fabricated for the first time by an electrodeposition route and then used directly as an anode for lithium-ion batteries, which exhibited larger capacity and good cycle stability. •The porous NiS on Ni foam substrate were fabricated by an electrodeposition route.•NiS/Ni thin films were used as the electrode material in lithium-ion batteries.•The cell fabricated by NiS/Ni exhibited larger capacity and good cycle stability. Electrodeposition, a convenient approach, has been used for fabricating porous NiS thin films on Ni foam substrate. The obtained NiS/Ni thin films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. Furthermore, the electrodeposited NiS/Ni thin films were first used as the anode for lithium-ion intercalation and exhibited large capacities and good cycling stability.