A rechargeable aluminum-ion battery based on a VS2 nanosheet cathode

As a typical member of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), VS2 has been evaluated as the aluminum-ion battery cathode for the first time. To further improve their stability and conductivity, the as-prepared VS2 nanosheets are modified with graphene (denoted as G-VS2). And the G-VS2 electrode delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 186 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1 with almost 100% coulombic efficiency after 50 cycles. Furthermore, an explicit intercalation mechanism of Al into G-VS2 has been investigated by in/ex situ XRD, ex situ Raman and TEM spectroscopy. And the G-VS2 composite proves to be an impressive cathode material for aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs). This work might put forward the application of TMDs in AIBs.