Diatomite-Templated Synthesis of Single-Atom Cobalt-Doped MoS 2 /Carbon Composites to Boost Sodium Storage.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and single-atom catalysts (SACs) are promising electrodes for energy conversion/storage because of the layered structure and maximum atom utilization efficiency. However, the integration of such two type materials and the relevant sodium storage applications remain daunting challenges. Here an ingenious diatomite-templated synthetic strategy is designed to fabricate single-atom cobalt-doped MoS 2 /carbon (SA Co-MoS 2 /C) composites toward the high-performance sodium storage. Benefiting from the unique hierarchical structure, high electron/sodium-ion conductivity, and abundant active sites, the obtained SA Co-MoS 2 /C reveals remarkable specific capacity (∼604.0 mAh g -1 at 0.1 A g -1 ), high rate performance, and outstanding long cyclic stability. Particularly, the sodium-ion full cell composed of SA Co-MoS 2 /C anode and Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 cathode demonstrates unexpected stability with the cycle number exceeded 1200. The internal sodium storage mechanism is clarified with the aid of density function theory calculations and in situ experimental characterizations. This work not only represents a substantial leap in terms of synthesizing SACs on 2D TMDCs, but also provides a crucial step toward the practical sodium-ion battery applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.