Flower-like Mn/Co glycerolate-derived α-MnS/Co₉S₈/carbon heterostructures for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Transition-metal oxides/sulfides have been widely applied for energy storage because of their high-theoretical capacity and natural abundance with low prices, but they suffer from the volume change-induced pulverization problem during cycling. Herein, we present the successful fabrication of heterostructured α-MnS/Co9S8 with simultaneous carbon hybridization through the chemical vapor deposition method, using the pre-synthesized flower-like Mn/Co-glycerate by the solvothermal method as a Mn/Co source and the thiophene as a C/S source. When applied as a lithium storage anode, the α-MnS/Co9S8/C electrode displays satisfactory electrochemical performances, exhibiting a high reversible capacity of 608 mA h g-1 at 500 mA g-1 upon 300 cycles with 73% capacity retention and a high rate capacity of 422 mA h g-1 at 1000 mA g-1, which is much better than that for the Mn/Co-glycerate-derived MnCo2Ox counterpart. Benefiting from the stepwise lithium storage behaviors of a-MnS and Co9S8 and the carbon wrapping, the α-MnS/Co9S8/C heterostructures effectively suppress the electrode pulverization, which finally contributes to the enhanced lithium storage performance.