Facile and solvothermal synthesis of rationally designed mesoporous NiCoSe2 nanostructure and its improved lithium and sodium storage properties

Rechargeable metal ion batteries have attracted considerable attention in modern society because environmental issues are getting worse over time. They are highly expecting to play a vital role in day-to-day life in portable electronic devices (EVs) as well as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Herein, we report the synthesis of bimetallic dichalcogenide by a solvothermal technique and systematically explore the effect of mesoporous NiCoSe2 (MNCS) nanostructures by controlling the ratio of surface-active agent during the synthesis process. The depth morphological evaluation using high-resolution field-emission transmission electron microscopy (HR FE-TEM) suggests that all the MNCS nanostructures display similar morphology with an extended network of material architecture when the ratio of surface active agent increased and thus interestingly play an important role in enhancement of surface area and porosity of the as-prepared electrode architecture. Interestingly, an obtained MNCS50 nanostructure displays a specific capacity of 557 and 398 mAh g(-1) after 100 and 60 cycles for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium ion batteries (SIBs), respectively. The larger surface area and high porous nature of MNCS50 nanostructure affords more spaces to accommodate larger numbers of lithium (Li) and sodium (Na) ions during the discharge/charge process, and the nanostructured electrode material often enhances the electrical conductivity. These observations are indicating the use of nanostructured anode materials for LIBs and SIBs. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.