Hollow Porous Cu₂S Nano-Spheres as High-Rate Magnesium Battery Cathode

The magnesium ion batteries are gaining huge attention in the field of battery energy due to high energy density, low cost potential and high safety performance. So far, the research of magnesium ion batteries has been slow. The surface and structural properties of cathode electrode materials greatly limiting the discharge performance of magnesium ion battery. Herein, a facile synthesis of Cu2S nano-hollow spheres for high performance magnesium ion battery cathode electrode materials was reported. This nano-hollow spheres have a large specific surface area (12.84 m(2) g(-1)) which can reduce the volume expansion caused by magnesium ions during embedding and detachment, and facilitate ion diffusion during the discharge-charging process. Consequently, the nano-hollow porous Cu2S deliver a 152 mAh g(-1) after 850 cycles at 560 mA g(-1) hold a long-term cycling stability as cathode materials for magnesium ion battery. This work not only demonstrates the great potential of NHP-Cu2S materials, for application in magnesium ion batteries, but also sheds a new light on the application of metal sulfides in magnesium ion batteries.