MOF-derived carbon-encapsulated cobalt sulfides orostachys-like micro/nano-structures as advanced anode material for lithium ion batteries.

Abstract Carbon-encapsulated transitional metal sulfides are considered as a promising anode material candidate for lithium ion batteries. Herein, a simple process is developed to synthesize 3D orostachys-like cobalt sulfides/C composites. This process is associated with the rational design of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and subsequent in-situ sulfurization. Benefit from its unique structures, this novel 3D orostachys-like cobalt sulfides@C composites delivers an excellent charge capacity of 791 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.2 A g−1 as well as high stability of 667 mA g−1 after 700 cycles at 1 A g−1. Pseudocapacitive behaviors enhanced the electrochemical performance of 3D orostachys-like cobalt sulfides@C composites. Graphical abstract Scheme illustrating the benefit of hierarchical micro/nano-structure of Co 1-x S/C composites. Image 1 Highlights • Novel orostachys-like metal-organic frameworks were synthesized. • Cobalt sulfide nanoparticles uniformly embedded in hierarchical porous carbon network. • Several features of the hybrids lead to excellent lithium storage performance. • Pseudocapacitive behaviors enhanced the electrochemical performance of the hybrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]