Novel synthesis of metal sulfides-loaded porous carbon as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Many metal sulfides with high theoretical capacities are potential anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. However, the low electronic conductivity and large volume change of metal sulfides during cycling seriously hamper their practical applications. Herein, we report a novel and scalable strategy to synthesize well-dispersed Ni3S2 (∼5 nm) inside porous carbon (CMK-3) by using mesoporous silica (SBA-15) as the template. CMK-3 offers not only good electronic conductivity but also mesopores to accommodate the volume variation of Ni3S2, leading to outstanding electrochemical performance of Ni3S2-loaded CMK-3. To show the versatility of this novel method, ZnS-loaded CMK-3 is also prepared. However, most ZnS nanoparticles are formed outside the pores of CMK-3 with regard to high loading amount. It is inferred that the intermediate product Zn would melt and migrate to the outer surface of CMK-3 prior to the formation of ZnS. This novel synthesis method may offer an attractive pathway to metal sulfide-loaded porous carbon with high lithium storage capacity.