Tulip-like MoS2 with a single sheet tapered structure anchored on N-doped graphene substrates via C–O–Mo bonds for superior sodium storage

Abstract

Tulip-like MoS₂ with a tapered structure was assembled using a single-sheet anchored on N-doped graphene substrates (tulip-MoS₂/NG) through an in situ technique with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) as the “sacrificial agent” to promote C–O–Mo bond formation. As an anode for the Na⁺ battery, tulip-MoS₂/NG electrodes exhibited excellent capacity retention (above 99% after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g⁻¹) and long cycling stability (179 mA h g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ and 151 mA h g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹ after 1000 cycles with a degradation below 110 μAh g⁻¹ cycle⁻¹). The excellent electrochemical performance could be attributed to the single-sheet tapered structure that functions as a self-support and promotes the stability of the tulip-MoS₂/NG architecture. Moreover, the C–O–Mo bonds derived from the NMP molecular bridge fixed tulip-like MoS₂ on the NG.