MoS₂ nanosheets anchored on coal tar pitch activated carbon for high rate sodium storage

Applications of sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are inseparable from scalable anode materials with high electrical conductivity and excellent stability. In this work, coal tar pitch activated carbon was functionalized (FAC) and employed as a substrate, followed by a hydrothermal process to fabricate MoS₂/FAC nanocomposite with tight bonding. The MoS₂ exhibits a homogeneous integrated structure with an enlarged interlayer spacing of 0.65 nm in the obtained MoS₂/FAC. When employed as anode material for SIBs, the MoS₂/FAC electrode delivers a promising reversible capacity of 174.0 mAh g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹, with a decay rate of 0.148%·cycle⁻¹ after 500 cycles. The ultrahigh rate of sodium storage is mainly attributed to uniform MoS₂ nanosheets anchored on the FAC through C-O-Mo bonding, and the wide layer spacing of the ultrathin MoS₂ nanosheets.