MoSe2 nanosheets-wrapped flexible carbon cloth as binder-free anodes for high-rate lithium and sodium ion storages

Layered two-dimensional MoSe₂ has raised much interest in lithium/sodium ion batteries (LIBs/SIBs) due to its unique structure and high theoretical capacity. In this work, we have fabricated MoSe₂@carbon cloth (MoSe₂@CC) composites through an in situ hydrothermal approach followed by an annealing treatment. The as-synthesized MoSe₂@CC composites are constructed by MoSe₂ nanoflowers anchored on CC network, which can be directly used as binder-free anodes for LIBs and SIBs. As an anode for LIBs, the MoSe₂@CC performs excellent rate capacity (1337, 1092, 952, 831 and 749 mAh g⁻¹ at current densities of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 A g⁻¹) and super long-life cycling stability (638 mAh g⁻¹ remains after 1200 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹). As for SIBs, the MoSe₂@CC electrode delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 839 mAh g⁻¹ and excellent long-life cycling stability, retaining 202 mAh g⁻¹ after 1000 cycles. Kinetics results indicate that the Li⁺ and Na⁺ storages in MoSe₂@CC are both dominated by surface-based pseudocapacitive process, which greatly improves the rate performance of LIBs/SIBs. The CC provides a conductive network and an excellent utilization rate of the active material MoSe₂ to improve the electrochemical performance.