Microwave-Assisted Fabrication of High Energy Density Binary Metal Sulfides for Enhanced Performance in Battery Applications

Nanomaterials have found use in a number of relevant energy applications. In particular, nanoscale motifs of binary metal sulfides can function as conversion materials, similar to that of analogous metal oxides, nitrides, or phosphides, and are characterized by their high theoretical capacity and correspondingly low cost. This review focuses on structure-composition-property relationships of specific relevance to battery applications, emanating from systematic attempts to either (1) vary and alter the dimension of nanoscale architectures or (2) introduce conductive carbon-based entities, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene-derived species. In this study, we will primarily concern ourselves with probing metal sulfide nanostructures generated by a microwave-mediated synthetic approach, which we have explored extensively in recent years. This particular fabrication protocol represents a relatively facile, flexible, and effective means with which to simultaneously control both chemical composition and physical morphology within these systems to tailor them for energy storage applications.

Automated summary

Nanomaterials, especially nanoscale motifs of binary metal sulfides, have been used in relevant energy applications as conversion materials with high theoretical capacity and low cost. This review focuses on the structure-composition-property relationships for battery applications, involving the variation of nanoscale architectures or the introduction of conductive carbon-based entities. The microwave-mediated synthetic approach is explored extensively to generate metal sulfide nanostructures and tailor them for energy storage applications by controlling both chemical composition and physical morphology.