Carbon-Encrusted SnS₂ Decorated on MXene Nanosheets for Advanced Li-Ion Battery Anodes

SnS₂ stands out as a promising lithium storage anode due to its high specific capacity, low voltage plateau, and cost-effectiveness. However, practical applications are hindered by significant limitations, including low electrical conductivity, volumetric expansion, and sulfur dissolution. In this study, carbon-encrusted SnS₂ nanoparticles are anchored onto few-layered MXene via a straightforward ultrasound-assisted ball milling method, yielding SnS₂@C/MXene nanocomposites. Kinetic experiments demonstrate that this innovative ball milling approach facilitates the infiltration of SnS₂@C into the distorted sites of MXene, effectively curbing interlayer stacking, expediting ion transfer, and bolstering the pseudocapacitance contribution of the anode. Concurrently, the few-layered MXene intertwines with SnS₂@C, effectively mitigating the volume fluctuations of the active SnS₂@C. As a lithium-ion battery (LiB) anode, SnS₂@C/MXene exhibits a specific capacity of 867.1 mAh g⁻¹ after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g⁻¹. Moreover, the SnS₂@C/MXene anode demonstrates remarkable reversible specific capacities of 1,162.9, 1,001.0, 838.1, 724.8, 591.5, and 413.9 mAh g⁻¹ under 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 A g⁻¹, respectively, surpassing those of recently reported SnS_x-based LiB anodes. These findings underscore the significant potential of SnS₂@C/MXene nanocomposites for high-performance LiBs.