Carbon Microtube Textile with MoS2 Nanosheets Grown on Both Outer and Inner Walls as Multifunctional Interlayer for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Abstract

The shuttle effect of soluble lithium polysulfides during the charge/discharge process is the key bottleneck hindering the practical application of lithium–sulfur batteries. Herein, a multifunctional interlayer is developed by growing metallic molybdenum disulfide nanosheets on both outer and inner walls of cotton cloth derived carbon microtube textile (MoS2@CMT). The hollow structure of CMT provides channels to favor electrolyte penetration, Li+ diffusion and restrains polysulfides via physical confinement. The hydrophilic and conductive 1T-MoS2 nanosheets facilitate chemisorption and kinetic behavior of polysulfides. The synergic effect of 1T-MoS2 nanosheets and CMT affords the MoS2@CMT interlayer with an efficient trapping-diffusion-conversion ability toward polysulfides. Therefore, the cell with the MoS2@CMT interlayer exhibits enhanced cycling life (765 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 0.5 C) and rate performance (974 mAh g−1 at 2 C and 740 mAh g−1 at 5 C). This study presents a pathway to develop low-cost multifunctional interlayers for advanced lithium–sulfur batteries.