Nest-Like Molybdenum Diphosphide-Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposite for Lithium-Ion Storage

Metal phosphides (MPs) with high theoretical capacity and fast kinetics are considered useful anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Phosphorus-rich MPs are more attractive than phosphorus-lean ones for the preparation of lithium battery anodes because the capacity of MPs is usually proportional to the content of the phosphorus component. In this work, we synthesized a nest-like molybdenum diphosphide-carbon nanotube (MoP2-CNT) nanocomposite for a high-capacity and long-term cycle-stable anode. Due to the nanoscale size and carbon nanotube cross-linking, the nest-like MoP2-CNT possessed a short diffusion path of lithium ions, a good conductive network, and a permeable buffer layer. As a result, after 500 cycles, the specific capacity reached 504.7 mA h g(-1) at 1.0 A g(-1) and 310.6 mA h g(-1) at 4.0 A g(-1). Superior electrochemical performances were also achieved at high-mass-loading MoP2-CNT electrodes. In addition, the full cell composed of the MoP2-CNT anode and LiCoO2 cathode also exhibited an energy density of 378.2 Wh kg(-1) and excellent rate and cycling performances, indicating the potential application of the MoP2-CNT nanocomposite. The above superior electrochemical performances demonstrated that the phosphorus-rich composites were promising candidates for the preparation of a high-capacity LIB anode.