Immobilization of molybdenum disulfide nanoparticles onto metal–organic framework-derived carbon nanotubes and carbon cloth templates for flexible sodium-ion battery anodes

The integration of high-capacity active materials onto flexible substrates is essential for advancing flexible sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, we report a novel strategy for fabricating high-performance, flexible SIB anodes via the immobilization of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoparticles on carbon cloth (CC) modified with metal–organic framework-derived carbon nanotubes (MOF-derived CNTs). In this method, Co-containing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) were assembled on polyaniline-coated CC, followed by CNT growth via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and hydrothermal deposition of MoS₂. The resulting MoS₂@CNT@CC electrodes achieved significantly higher MoS₂ loading (15–20 wt%) compared to direct deposition on CC (< 5 wt%). Electrochemical evaluation revealed an initial discharge capacity of 231 mAh g⁻¹ with a Coulombic efficiency of 94.3%, outperforming MoS₂@CC (150 mAh g⁻¹, 77.8%) and bare CC (113 mAh g⁻¹, 74.3%). After 100 cycles at 50 mA g⁻¹, MoS₂@CNT@CC maintained a stable capacity of 133 mAh g⁻¹ and an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.9%. Cyclic voltammetry confirmed enhanced redox activity, while mechanical tests showed no significant degradation after 10,000 bending cycles (10 mm radius). These findings highlight the effectiveness of MOF-derived CNTs in enhancing MoS₂ loading, conductivity, and mechanical resilience, offering a promising route toward robust and efficient flexible SIB anodes.