Two-Step Synthesis of Hierarchical Dual Few-Layered Fe3O4/MoS2 Nanosheets and Their Synergistic Effects on Lithium-Storage Performance

Owing to unique lamellar nanostructures, 2D inorganic materials are considered as promising candidates in energy storage and conversion. In this paper, a facile two-step synthesis is developed to fabricate 3D hierarchical dual Fe3O4/MoS2 nanosheets (HD-FMNs), in which few-layered MoS2 nanosheets are anchored in 3D Fe3O4 nanosheet network to form the heterojunction structure. Furthermore, it is proved that the synergistic effects on both electron/lithium-ion transport kinetics and mechanical cycling stability benefit from Fe3O4/MoS2 nanosheet incorporation in 3D HD-FMN anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), resulting in the dramatically enhanced performance. The Fe3O4 nanosheet incorporation effectively improves the electronic conductivity due to its half-metal characteristic, while the defect-rich structure in the MoS2 nanosheets can facilitate the lithium ion transport. When tested as potential anode materials, 3D HD-FMNs exhibit a high reversible capacity (650 mAh g(-1)) at current rate of 5 C (1 C = 1 A g(-1)) after superior long-term cycles (1000 times), as well as an excellent rate capability even at high current rates. The outstanding electrochemical property of 3D HD-FMNs allows their application in high-performance anode materials for next-generation LIBs. This strategy also opens a new way to design the novel 2D composite materials for electrochemical devices.