Boron Oxide Enhancing Stability of MoS₂ Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is the most well-known transition metal chalcogenide for lithium storage applications because of its simple preparation process, superior optical, physical, and electrical properties, and high stability. However, recent research has shown that bare MoS₂ nanosheet (NS) can be reformed to the bulk structure, and sulfur atoms can be dissolved in electrolytes or form polymeric structures, thereby preventing lithium insertion/desertion and reducing cycling performance. To enhance the electrochemical performance of the MoS₂ NSs, B₂O₃ nanoparticles were decorated on the surface of MoS₂ NSs via a sintering technique. The structure of B₂O₃ decorated MoS₂ changed slightly with the formation of a lattice spacing of ~7.37 Å. The characterization of materials confirmed the formation of B₂O₃ crystals at 30% weight percentage of H₃BO₃ starting materials. In particular, the MoS₂_B3 sample showed a stable capacity of ~500 mAh·g^-1 after the first cycle. The cycling test delivered a high reversible specific capacity of ~82% of the second cycle after 100 cycles. Furthermore, the rate performance also showed a remarkable recovery capacity of ~98%. These results suggest that the use of B₂O₃ decorations could be a viable method for improving the stability of anode materials in lithium storage applications.