Bowl-like mesoporous polymer-induced interface growth of molybdenum disulfide for stable lithium storage

MoS 2 nanosheets are widely investigated for energy storage and catalytic application, however, the methodology for controllable growth of MoS 2 on functional matrix for boosting synergetic performance remains an urgent challenge. Herein, a nitrogen-containing polymer-induced interface growth strategy has been proposed for constructing a hierarchical bowl-like architecture, in which few-layer MoS 2 nanosheets anchored on bowl-like mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (BMCNs@MoS 2 ). The morphology, component and the thickness of MoS 2 nanosheets of BMCNs@MoS 2 can be effectively controlled by changing the growth conditions. Such a bowl-like mesoporous carbon can endow the architecture a unique unrestricted empty space, which can provide a freely entered channel for both lithium ions and electrons. Meanwhile, the less MoS 2 stacked layers, which can lead to large specific surface area contribute to enhancement of electrons transfer and exposure of active sites. As a result, when BMCNs@MoS 2 as an anode delivers a high specific capacity of 799 mA h g −1 at 0.2 A g −1 for 100 cycles, and an excellent rate capacity of 573 mA h g −1 at 2 A g −1 . The growth strategy developed in this work opens a new avenue to prepare a variety of transition-metal oxides or sulfides with ingenious morphology and enhanced performance.