Novel MoSe2/MoO2 heterostructure as an effective sulfur host for high-performance lithium/sulfur batteries

Despite their high theoretical capacity (1672 mAh g −1 ) and energy density (2600 Wh kg −1 ), the commercialization of lithium/sulfur (Li/S) batteries is hindered by the polysulfide shuttle phenomenon and sluggish electrode kinetics. Herein, we demonstrate a novel MoSe 2 /MoO 2 heterostructure via water-steam etching as an effective sulfur host for high-performance Li/S batteries. The as-prepared flower-like MoSe 2 /MoO 2 heterostructure exhibited strong affinity toward polysulfide intermediates with a strong adsorption energy of −3.46 eV, rendered by MoO 2 , and enhanced the redox kinetics significantly. Consequently, S/MoSe 2 /MoO 2 electrode, with 66% sulfur content, delivered a high initial capacity of 1100 mAh g −1 and high capacity retention of 77.1% after 500 cycles at 0.5 C. The synthesis of MoSe 2 /MoO 2 heterostructure presents a promising strategy to design sulfur hosts for high-performance Li/S batteries.