MoS2 nanosheets uniformly grown on polyphosphazene-derived carbon nanospheres for lithium-ion batteries

With the discovery and application of graphene, layered inorganic materials such as MoS2 has attracted increasing interest. However, the rational design of a novel electrode structure with a high capacity, fast charge/discharge rate, and long cycling lifetime remains a great challenge. Herein, we report a method of growing layered MoS2 nanosheets on polyphosphazene microspheres. The uniform polyphosphazene microspheres have a rich and uniform hydroxyl structure on the surface, which are effective as hard templates for the growth of two-dimensional MoS2 nanosheets. The uniform adsorption of the initial molybdenum disulfide nanosheets induced a uniform growth, hence a high stable electrochemical performance. Moreover, the obtained hollow carbon microspheres not only exhibited higher electrical conductivity, but also stronger the structural stability. The composites shows a high capacity (882 mAh.g(-1)) at a current density of 2 A.g(-1) and a long cycle life of 1000 cycles with 85 % capacity retention as well. The composites might be a promising MoS2-based anode material for Li-ion battery applications.