Metallic 1T-WS2 nanoribbons as highly conductive electrodes for supercapacitors

Abstract

Layered tungsten disulfide (WS₂) has attracted great attention because of its high potential for electrochemical energy applications. However, the semiconducting nature of WS₂ with a 2H phase largely hinders its electrochemical performance due to poor electronic conductivity. In this study, we have successfully synthesized a metallic 1T-WS₂ nanoribbon with stable ammonia-ion intercalation as a highly conductive electrode for high-performance supercapacitors. The specific capacitance using the metallic 1T-WS₂ electrode exhibits significant enhancement upto the value of 2813 μF cm⁻². This value is 12 times higher compared to semiconducting 2H-WS₂. Moreover, the 1T-WS₂ electrode has good stability even under high current scans, which is ascribed to the stable ammonia-ion interaction. The correlation between the 1T-WS₂ structure and its electrochemical performance has also been discussed.