Hollow Mo2C Nanofibers Improve the Electrochemical Performance of Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Battery

In this study, convenient and rapid electrospinning technology is used to prepare molybdenum-carbide (Mo
2
C) loaded nanofibers and Mo
2
C loaded hollow nanofibers. The electrical conductivity of the sulfur cathode can be significantly improved through the utilization of Mo
2
C hollow carbon nanofibers as the supporting matrix material. Furthermore, the hollow nanofiber architecture can additionally function as a cushion to alleviate the volumetric alterations. Mo
2
C particles attached to the fiber surface can fully contact polysulfide and catalyze it to short-chain Li
2
S
4
and Li
2
S
2
. The cathode electrode using hollow Mo
2
C nanofibers as matrix material exhibits an initial specific capacity of 904 mAh g
^-1
at 0.2 °C. After 200 cycles, the composite cathode still maintain a reversible specific capacity of 573 mAh g
^-1
, and capacity loss rate is only 0.18% per cycle. Hollow Mo
2
C nanofibers exhibit superior electrochemical performance compared to Mo
2
C nanofibers, thanks to the effective confinement of the shuttle effect and improved sulfur-utilization achieved through the construction of hollow structure. This work presents a straightforward and effective method for generating one-dimensional nanofibers as cathode support materials for lithium-sulfur batteries.