Rationally Designed Three-Layered TiO2@amorphous MoS3@Carbon Hierarchical Microspheres for Efficient Potassium Storage

Amorphous MoS3 has been an attractive electrode material for sodium-ion batteries and lithium-sulfur batteries. However, the potassium storage capability of amorphous MoS3 remains unreported. Herein, the construction of hybrid hierarchical microspheres composed of amorphous MoS3 nanosheets dual-confined with TiO2 core, and nitrogen-doped carbon shell layer (denoted as TiO2@A-MoS3@NC) via a self-templating method, combined with a low-temperature sulfurization process as a new anode material for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), is reported. Benefitting from the unique structural merits including unique 1D chain structure, disordered arrangement of atoms and a large number of defects of amorphous MoS3, more active heterointerfacial sites, effectively mitigated volume change, good electrical contact, and easy K+ ion migration, the TiO2@A-MoS3@NC microspheres exhibit excellent potassium-storage performance with high specific capacity, superior rate capability, and cycling stability.

Automated summary

In this study, a hybrid hierarchical microspheres structure composed of TiO2@A-MoS3@NC was constructed via a self-templating method and used as an anode material for potassium-ion batteries. The microspheres exhibited excellent potassium-storage performance.