Oriented MoS₂ Nanoflakes on N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Derived from Dodecylamine-Intercalated MoO₃ for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

MoS₂ is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its layered structure, analogous to that of graphite, and high lithium storage capacity of 670 mAh g⁻¹. However, its practical implementation in LIBs is hindered by poor conductivity, large volume change, and possible polysulfide shuttling during cycling. In this work, oriented MoS₂ nanoflakes grown on N-doped carbon nanosheets (MoS₂/NC) are investigated as high-performance anodes in LIBs. The materials are prepared by annealing dodecylamine-intercalated MoO₃ nanosheets under Ar at 400 °C, followed by a hydrothermal treatment in the thiourea (CH₄N₂S) solution at 220 °C for 30 h. In the MoS₂/NC structure, the NC nanosheets constitute a long-range conductive network for fast electron transfer, whereas the oriented MoS₂ nanoflakes provide sufficient active sites for Li⁺ storage and fast Li⁺ diffusion along the a–b plane. Consequently, the MoS₂/NC electrode shows a remarkable capacity of 803 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 100 mA g⁻¹, a high rate capability of 554 mAh g⁻¹ at 2000 mA g⁻¹, and excellent cycle stability. Our results reveal a facile and general method to produce high-performance heterostructured MoS₂/NC anodes and the process can be extended to other metal dichalcogenides for future high-performance LIBs.