Template-assisted fabrication of CuxS–C hybrid-structure-based electrodes for electrochemical applications

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 428
• Main Authors: Young, Christine, Yi, Bing-Yi, Chen, Hong-Ting
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.01.2022
• Subjects: Copper sulfides; Li-ion battery; Metal−organic framework; Supercapacitor; Metal−organic framework; Supercapacitor; Copper sulfides; Li-ion battery
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.132549

[Display omitted] •A facile self-templated method for fabricating hybrid materials comprised of metal sulfide and carbon is demonstrated.•The CuxS/C hybrid structure can be derived from metal-organic frameworks by solvothermal reaction with sulfur sources.•The CuxS/C hybrid structure presents excellent electrochemical properties for supercapacitors and lithium-ion batterieies. A self-templated strategy to synthesize CuxS/C nanoparticles derived from Cu-BTC (copper(II)-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) is demonstrated by proper sulfurization and annealing process. The generation of carbon provided conductive pathways all over the composite and enhanced the electrochemical characteristics. CuxS is a faradic metal sulfide with a high theoretical capacitance. Thus, this CuxS/C heterostructure is a promising candidate material for electrochemical applications. Optimized CuxS/C samples were obtained by tracking the formation and morphologies of CuxS via detailed X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) analysis. The best CuxS/C sample exhibited a high specific capacitance of 583F g−1 at a scan rate of 5 m Vs−1 for supercapacitor application. It was further tested for lithium-ion batteries and provided a value of 668 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1. Therefore, our simple strategy for fabrication of hybrid materials comprising copper sulfide and carbon paves the way for future applications in high-performance energy storage systems.