Nanospheres of TiO2/MoS2 composites synthesized via two-step chemical route for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

The increasing demand for sustainable and high-performance energy storage solutions necessitates the development of advanced electrode materials with superior electrochemical properties. This study presents a novel titanium oxide (TiO₂) @ molybdenum sulfide (MoS₂) (T@M) composite electrode, synthesized through an efficient dual-method approach combining sol-gel and hydrothermal techniques. By systematically varying MoS₂ incorporation within the TiO₂ matrix, we investigate the impact of composition on the structural, morphological, and electrochemical performance of the composite electrodes. The results reveal that optimized MoS₂ content significantly enhances the electrochemical characteristics, with the TM-2 composite achieving an impressive areal capacitance of 5.19 F/cm2 at 20 mA/cm2 and an energy density of 0.22 mWh/cm2 at 5.5 mW/cm2. Notably, the TM-2 sample exhibits exceptional long-term cycling stability, retaining 64.74 % of its capacitance after 20,000 cycles. Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor device fabricated from the TM-2 composite demonstrates an areal capacitance of 1.11 mF/cm2 at 10 mA/cm2, an energy density of 0.26 mWh/cm2, and a power density of 6.5 mW/cm2, with 61.1 % capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. These findings underscore the remarkable potential of T@M composites for high-performance, durable energy storage applications. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.