Monodisperse MoS2/Graphite Composite Anode Materials for Advanced Lithium Ion Batteries

Traditional graphite anode material typically shows a low theoretical capacity and easy lithium decomposition. Molybdenum disulfide is one of the promising anode materials for advanced lithium-ion batteries, which possess low cost, unique two-dimensional layered structure, and high theoretical capacity. However, the low reversible capacity and the cycling-capacity retention rate induced by its poor conductivity and volume expansion during cycling blocks further application. In this paper, a collaborative control strategy of monodisperse MoS2/graphite composites was utilized and studied in detail. MoS2/graphite nanocomposites with different ratios (MoS2:graphite = 20%:80%, 40%:60%, 60%:40%, and 80%:20%) were prepared by mechanical ball-milling and low-temperature annealing. The graphite sheets were uniformly dispersed between the MoS2 sheets by the ball-milling process, which effectively reduced the agglomeration of MoS2 and simultaneously improved the electrical conductivity of the composite. It was found that the capacity of MoS2/graphite composites kept increasing along with the increasing percentage of MoS2 and possessed the highest initial discharge capacity (832.70 mAh/g) when MoS2:graphite = 80%:20%. This facile strategy is easy to implement, is low-cost, and is cosmically produced, which is suitable for the development and manufacture of advance lithium-ion batteries.

Automated summary

Traditional graphite anode materials have low theoretical capacity and undergo easy lithium decomposition, while molybdenum disulfide is a promising anode material for advanced lithium-ion batteries due to its low cost, unique two-dimensional structure, and high theoretical capacity. However, poor conductivity and volume expansion during cycling hinder its practical application. In this study, monodisperse MoS2/graphite composites were prepared and investigated. The capacity of the composites increased with increasing MoS2 content, and reached the highest initial discharge capacity (832.70 mAh/g) at a MoS2:graphite ratio of 80%:20%. This simple and low-cost strategy has great potential for the development and production of advanced lithium-ion batteries.