Effect of manganese doping on the electrochemical performance of MoS2 as a cathode material for rechargeable Zn-ion batteries

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) show promise for grid-scale energy storage due to their intrinsic safety, environmental benign and low cost. Layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a potential cathode material for AZIBs. This study investigates the impact of manganese (Mn) doping on its electrochemical performance. Modifying the Mn doping ratio alters the MoS₂ structure, though X-ray diffraction confirms all samples show interlayer-expanded structure. Mn-MoS2-20 shows a significantly improved specific capacity of 170 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g, exceeding that of undoped MoS₂. Furthermore, Mn doping enhances the rate performance of MoS2. While cycling stability at 0.5 A/g and 2 A/g improves with Mn doping, capacity still fades, indicating further improvements in structural stability are needed. This study shown that by doping an appropriate Mn level into MoS2 structure would enhance the performance when applied as cathode material for AZIBs.