Unveiling the Effect of the Structure of Carbon Material on the Charge Storage Mechanism in MoS2-Based Supercapacitors

MoS2 is a 2D material that has been widely used in supercapacitor applications because of its layered structure that provides a large surface area and allows for high electric double-layer charge storage. To enhance the cycling stability and capacitance of MoS2, it is usually mixed with carbon materials. However, the dependence of the charge storage mechanism on the structure of the carbon material is still unclear in literature. Herein, the effect of the structure of the carbon material on the charge storage mechanism in 2H flower-shaped MoS2 is investigated in detail. Specifically, 2H MoS2 was mixed with either 8 nm-diameter carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) in different weight ratios. Also, a composite of MoS2, CNTs, and GNFs (1:1:1) was also studied. The charge storage mechanism was found to depend on the structure and content of the carbon material. Insights into the possible storage mechanism(s) were discussed. The MoS2/CNT/GNF composite showed a predominant pseudocapacitive charge storage mechanism where the diffusion current was similar to 89%, with 88.31% of the resulted capacitance being due to faradic processes.