Facile and Scalable Preparation of a MoS2/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposite Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries: Effects of Carbon Nanotube Content

Abstract

To investigate the effects of carbon nanotube content on the electrochemical performance in MoS2/CNT nanocomposite, a simple high-energy mechanical milling method was employed to prepare nanocomposites from MoS2 and CNT. Prepared with a one-step, 24-h ball-milling method, the MoS2/CNT nanocomposite showed improved performance in terms of specific capacity after 70 cycles when compared to pure MoS2. In addition, upon studying the effects of the weight ratio between MoS2 and the CNTs at (1:2), (1:1), and (2:1), we found the MoS2/CNT-(1:2) showed the highest specific capacity (similar to 765 mAh g(-1)) after 70 cycles and the best rate capability due to increased conductivity. Overall, the results suggested that the addition of conductive CNTs in MoS2 not only improves the cycling stability, but also leads to an increase in the specific capacity of MoS2/CNTs, which suggests our MoS2/CNT nanocomposite as a new and promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).