Na-ion batteries (NIBs) have attracted increasing attention given the fact that sodium is relatively more plentiful and affordable than lithium for sustainable and large-scale energy storage systems. However, the shortage of electrode materials with outstanding comprehensive properties has limited the practical implementations of NIBs. Among all the discovered anode materials, transition-metal sulfide has been proven as one of the most competitive and promising ones due to its excellent redox reversibility and relatively high theoretical capacity. In this study, double-morphology N-doped CoS2/multichannel carbon nanofibers composites (CoS2/MCNFs) are precisely designed, which overcome common issues such as the poor cycling life and inferior rate performance of CoS2 electrodes. The conductive 3D interconnected multichannel nanostructure of CoS2/MCNFs provides efficient buffer zones for the release of mechanical stresses from Na+ ions intercalation/deintercalation. The synergy of the diverse structural features enables a robust frame and a rapid electrochemical reaction in CoS2/MCNFs anode, resulting in an impressive long-term cycling life of 900 cycles with a capacity of 620 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 (86.4% theoretical capacity) and a surprisingly high-power output. The proposed design in this study provides a rational and novel thought for fabricating electrode materials.
Keywords: carbon nanofibers; cobalt disulfide; sodium ion batteries; transition-metal sulfide.