Fabrication of 3D structured composites of crumpled graphene, polyaniline and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets for high performance alkali metal ion storage

Abstract Recently, there is a growing concern for high performance energy storage devices in many applications where a lot of energy needs to be either stored or delivered. Here, we introduce a facile strategy to fabricate effectively combined 3D structured composites of crumpled graphene (CGR), polyaniline (PANI) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) for potential application to high performance alkali metal ion storage such as sodium and lithium ion storage. 2D graphene oxides, polyaniline, and physically exfoliated 2D MoS2 were combined to fabricate 3D structured CGR/PANI/MoS2 composites by aerosol self-assembly process and post heat treatment. Overall morphology of composites looked like crumpled paper ball with an average diameter of ~5 μm. MoS2 and PANI were attached on the surface of the graphene, which supported an accessible surface area and provided a path for electron transfer. Synergistic effect by the combination of the three functional materials resulted in outstanding electrochemical performance as sodium-ion storage in terms of storage capacity (328 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), good rate capability (282 F g−1 at 10 A g−1), and cycle performance (95%, after 1000 cycles). Even lithium-ion storage application, the CGR/PANI/MoS2 also delivered a high specific capacity of 470 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles.