Facile synthesis of 3D few-layered MoS2 coated TiO2 nanosheet core–shell nanostructures for stable and high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Uniform transition metal sulfide deposition on a smooth TiO₂ surface to form a coating structure is a well-known challenge, caused mainly due to their poor affinities. Herein, we report a facile strategy for fabricating mesoporous 3D few-layered (<4 layers) MoS₂ coated TiO₂ nanosheet core–shell nanocomposites (denoted as 3D FL-MoS₂@TiO₂) by a novel two-step method using a smooth TiO₂ nanosheet as a template and glucose as a binder. The core–shell structure has been systematically examined and corroborated by transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. It is found that the resultant 3D FL-MoS₂@TiO₂ as a lithium-ion battery anode delivers an outstanding high-rate capability with an excellent cycling performance, relating to the unique structure of 3D FL-MoS₂@TiO₂. The 3D uniform coverage of few-layered (<4 layers) MoS₂ onto the TiO₂ can remarkably enhance the structure stability and effectively shortens the transfer paths of both lithium ions and electrons, while the strong synergistic effect between MoS₂ and TiO₂ can significantly facilitate the transport of ions and electrons across the interfaces, especially in the high-rate charge–discharge process. Moreover, the facile fabrication strategy can be easily extended to design other oxide/carbon–sulfide/oxide core–shell materials for extensive applications.