High-performance supercapacitor based on MoS2@TiO2 composite for wide range temperature application

Abstract Transition metal sulphide and their composites gain attention as electrode material in energy storage devices due to their superior properties like excellent conductivity, high surface area, and porosity. We report an evaluation of the electrochemical performance of MoS2@TiO2 binary composite in symmetric supercapacitor assembly at different temperatures. A facile hydrothermal technique is used to prepare MoS2@TiO2 binary composite. Structural and morphological analysis reveals that highly crystalline composite comprising MoS2 assembled in flower-like flake configuration, whereas, TiO2 in nanorods form are prepared. Among all three electrodes, MoS2@15%TiO2 demonstrates maximum specific capacitance 210 F/g at 10 mV/s with excellent cycling stability (98%, 2000 cycles) at ambient temperature. It may be concluded that the mono-phased, mesoporous structure is a key feature behind the improved performance over the other electrodes. Further, improvement in charge-discharge characteristics has been observed by a factor of 200% at 60 °C attributing to low activation energy and faster ion dynamics at elevated temperatures. The impedance spectroscopic analysis reveals a significant reduction in interfacial impedances that leads to a superior capacitance effect compounded with favourable electrolytic charge dynamics. The highest energy density is reported to be 21 Wh/kg with a power density of 1300 W/kg in symmetric configuration. Synergistic effect of the binary system along with unique surface morphology and charge storage followed by intercalation and capacitive mechanism results in enhanced performance of supercapacitor with MoS2@15%TiO2. Thus, binary MoS2@TiO2 composite seems to be an exceptional candidate for the energy storage device operating at a wide temperature range (25–60 °C).