Effects of Carbon Content on the Electrochemical Performances of MoS₂-C Nanocomposites for Li-Ion Batteries

Molybdenum disulfide is popular for rechargeable batteries, especially in Li-ion batteries, because of its layered structure and relatively high specific capacity. In this paper, we report MoS₂-C nanocomposites that are synthesized by a hydrothermal process, and their use as anode material for Li-ion batteries. Ascorbic acid is used as the carbon source, and the carbon contents can be tuned from 2.5 wt % to 16.2 wt %. With increasing of carbon content, the morphology of MoS₂-C nanocomposites changes from nanoflowers to nanospheres, and the particle size is decreased from 200 to 60 nm. This change is caused by the chemical complex interaction of ascorbic acid. The MoS₂-C nanocomposite with 8.4 wt % C features a high capacity of 970 mAh g^-1 and sustains a capacity retention ratio of nearly 100% after 100 cycles. When the current increases to 1000 mA g^-1, the capacity still reaches 730 mAh g^-1. The above manifests that the carbon coating layer does not only accelerate the charge transfer kinetics to supply quick discharging and charging, but also hold the integrity of the electrode materials as evidenced by the long cycling stability. Therefore, MoS₂-based nanocomposites could be used as commercial anode materials in Li-ion batteries.