An interfacial engineering strategy of a VS2/CNT 3D conductive network for stable and high-performance zinc-ion batteries

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted significant attention due to their advantages. Nevertheless, the development of high-performance cathode materials remains a critical bottleneck. Among emerging candidates, vanadium-based sulfides have drawn substantial attention owing to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, their practical application is hindered by intrinsic limitations—including structural degradation and poor conductivity. Herein, we construct a hierarchical VS₂/CNT 3D conductive network on carbon cloth for enhanced stability and ion diffusion. The optimized VS₂/CNT cathode delivers 410 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.2 A g⁻¹ and maintains 270 mA h g⁻¹ after 1000 cycles at 10 A g⁻¹ with 90.0% retention, proving that this method represents a new strategy for durable metal sulfide application in ZIBs.