Hexagonal Carbon Nanoplates Decorated with Layer-Engineered MoS₂: High-Performance Cathode Materials for Zinc-Ion Batteries

Hexagonal carbon nanoplates bearing MoS₂ (HCN@MoS₂) were synthesized using two-dimensional (2D) microporous organic polymers as templating materials. The layer number of MoS₂ in HCN@MoS₂ and the 2D morphology of composites were critical factors to achieve high-performance cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries. The best cathode performance was obtained with HCN@MoS₂ bearing 2-3 layered MoS₂ (HCN@MoS₂-2), showing excellent discharge capacities of 602 mAh/g (@50 mA/g), 498 mAh/g (@0.1 A/g), and 328 mAh/g (@1 A/g). The promising electrochemical performance of HCN@MoS₂-2 is attributable to the facilitated insertion of zinc ions into 2-3 layered MoS₂ due to the reduced lattice energy and the efficient electrochemical utilization of composite materials.