Carbon nanofiber linked FeS₂ mesoporous nano-alloys as high capacity anodes for lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Iron sulfide, commonly known as fool's gold, is rapidly emerging as an attractive material for both energy conversion (in photovoltaics) and energy storage, especially as an electrode in lithium-ion batteries. In this manuscript, we report on a simple one-pot two-step technique for synthesis of carbon nanofiber (CNF) cross-linked FeS<SUB>2</SUB> networks, by microwave pyrolysis of ferrocene to iron decorated CNF and its subsequent sulfidation by a sustainable source, namely, <SMALL>L</SMALL>-cysteine. When used as the negative electrode in lithium-ion batteries, our 3D mesoporous FeS<SUB>2</SUB>–CNF hybrids exhibit high capacity of 994 mAhg<SUP>−1</SUP> even after 300 cycles, which exceeds the theoretical capacity of FeS<SUB>2</SUB> (894 mAhg<SUP>−1</SUP>). Additionally, when applied as super-capacitor electrodes, our microwave-synthesized FeS<SUB>2</SUB>–CNF electrodes exhibit high capacitance of 612 and 342 Fg<SUP>-1</SUP> at 5 and 100 mVs<SUP>−1</SUP>, respectively, and long-term cyclability, with 97% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> One pot microwave synthesis of carbon nano fiber linked FeS<SUB>2</SUB> nano-platelet ensembles is developed. </LI> <LI> The lithium ion capacity of FeS<SUB>2</SUB>-CNF nano-alloys was significantly improved. </LI> <LI> FeS<SUB>2</SUB>-CNF nano-alloys show excellent performance in super-capacitors. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>