Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle decorated three-dimensional porous carbon/MoS₂ composites as anodes for high performance lithium-ion batteries

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries owing to its high theoretical capacity and low cost. However, it exhibits low electrical conductivity and volume expansion, resulting in poor electrochemical performance. In this work, three-dimensional porous carbon/MoS₂ composites with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (C-MF) are synthesized via a mix-bake-wash method. The few-layered MoS₂ in the porous carbon matrix provides improved electrical conductivity and facilitates lithium ion diffusion, so the composites exhibit a high specific capacity of 939.6 mA h g^-1 on average at 0.1 A g^-1 and a high rate capability (515.9 mA h g^-1 at 5 A g^-1). Moreover, the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in C-MF, which are anchored on the composites, improve the specific capacity and effectively mitigate diffusion of lithium polysulfides during cycling, resulting in remarkable cycling stability (590.1 mA h g^-1 after 500 cycles at 2 A g^-1). This work suggests that not only C-MF but also C@MoS₂ with other metal oxides synthesized using this facile strategy have potential for energy-related applications.