Preparation and Characterization of Metal Sulfide-Based Chalcocarbogels (MxMo₃S₁₃-GO) as Potential

Abstract

The increasing demand for efficient energy storage has accelerated the development of lithium−sulfur (Li−S) batteries as promising alternatives to conventional lithium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical energy density. However, Li−S batteries face several challenges, including polysulfide dissolution, low electrical conductivity, large volume changes during cycling, and poor long-term stability. In this work, amorphous metal sulfide-based chalcocarbogels Ni_xMo₃S₁₃ -GO and Co_xMo₃S₁₃ -GO (x = 0.25 and 0.5) were synthesized. The synthesized materials were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). FTIR was used to identify the functional groups present in the synthesized materials, SEM was employed to examine the morphology of the chalcocarbogels, and XRD was used to determine their crystalline structure, revealing that the materials were predominantly amorphous. Incorporating graphene oxide into the transition metal sulfide framework is expected to improve structural stability and electrical conductivity, making these materials promising candidates for future Li−S battery cathodes. This work demonstrates an effective approach for preparing graphene oxide integrated metal sulfide- based chalcocarbogels and provides a foundation for future electrochemical studies aimed at developing high-performance energy storage materials.