Optimally arranged TiO_(2)@MoS_(2) heterostructures with effectively induced built-in electric field for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

To overcome the serious technological issues affecting lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries,such as sluggish sulfur redox kinetics and the detrimental shuttle effect,heterostructure engineering has been investigated as a strategy to effectively capture soluble lithium polysulfide intermediates and promote their conversion reaction by integrating highly polar metal oxides with catalytically active metals sulfides.However,to fully exploit the outstanding properties of heterostructure-based composites,their detailed structure and interfacial contacts should be designed rationally.Herein,optimally arranged TiO_(2)and MoS_(2)-based heterostructures(TiO_(2)@MoS_(2)) are fabricated on carbon cloth as a multifunctional interlayer to efficiently trap polysulfide intermediates and accelerate their redox kinetics.Owing to the synergistic effects between TiO_(2)and MoS_(2)and the uniform heterointerface distribution that induces the ideally oriented built-in electric field,Li-S batteries with TiO_(2)@MoS_(2)interlayers exhibit high rate capability(601 mA h g^(-1)at 5 C),good cycling stability(capacity-fade rate of 0.067% per cycle over 500 cycles at2 C),and satisfactory areal capacity(5.2 mA h cm^(-2)) under an increased sulfur loading of 5.2 mg cm^(-2).Moreover,by comparing with a MoS_(2)@TiO_(2)interlayer composed of reversely arranged heterostructures,the effect of the built-in electric field’s direction on the electrocatalytic reactions of polysulfide intermediates is thoroughly investigated for the first time.The superior electrocatalytic activities of the rationally arranged TiO_(2)@MoS_(2)interlayer demonstrate the importance of optimizing the built-in electric field of heterostructures for producing high-performance Li-S batteries.

Abundant heterointerfaces in MOF-derived hollow CoS_(2)-MoS_(2) nanosheet array electrocatalysts for overall water splitting

Rational coupling of hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) and oxygen evolution reaction(OER) catalysts is extremely important for practical overall water splitting,but it is still challenging to construct such bifunctional heterostructures.Herein,we present a metal-organic framework(MOF)-etching strategy to design free-standing and hierarchical hollow CoS_(2)-MoS_(2) heteronanosheet arrays for both HER and OER.Resulting from the controllable etching of MOF by MoO_(4)^(2-) and in-situ sulfuration,the obtained CoS_(2)-MoS_(2) possesses abundant heterointerfaces with modulated local charge distribution,which promote water dissociation and rapid electrocatalytic kinetics.Moreover,the two-dimensional hollow array architecture can not only afford rich surface-active sites,but also facilitate the penetration of electrolytes and the release of evolved H_(2)/O_(2) bubbles.Consequently,the engineered CoS_(2)-MoS_(2) heterostructure exhibits small overpotentials of 82 mV for HER and 266 mV for OER at 10 mA cm^(-2).The corresponding alkaline electrolyzer affords a cell voltage of 1.56 V at 10 mA cm^(-2) to boost overall water splitting,along with robust durability over 24 h, even surpassing the benchmark electrode couple composed of IrO_(2) and Pt/C The present work may provide valuable insights for developing MOF-derived heterogeneous electrocatalysts with tailored interface/surface structure for widespread application in catalysis and other energyrelated areas.

Highly active and stable Cu_(9)S_(5)-MoS_(2)heterostructures nanocages enabled by dual-functional Cu electrocatalyst with enhanced potassium storage

The intrinsic poor electrical conductivity,severe dissolution of K x S y intermediates,and inferior conversion reaction reversibility extremely impede the practical application of the transition-metal chalcogenides(TMDs)anode for potassium-ion batteries(PIBs).Herein,a rationally designed Cu_(9)S_(5)/MoS_(2)/C heterostruc-ture hollow nanocage was synthesized with assistance from metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)precursor.During the K-storage process,the homogeneously distributed the sulfiphilic nature of Cu 0 reaction prod-uct could act as a dual-functional catalyst,not only facilitating the rapid charge transfer but also effec-tively anchoring(K x S y)polysulfides,thus boosting K-storage reactions reversibility during the conversion reaction process.When applied as an anode for PIBs,the as-prepared heterostructure exhibits excellent reversible capacity and long cycle lifespan(350.5 mAh g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1)and 0.04%per cycle capacity de-cay at 1 A g^(-1)after 1000 cycles).Additionally,the potassium storage mechanism is distinctly revealed by in-situ characterizations.The nanoarchitecture designing strategy for the advanced electrode in this work could provide vital guidance for relevant energy storage materials.