Engineering metal chalcogenide heterostructure-interfaced carbon nanotube electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors

Hierarchically structured carbon-based constituents are evolving as promising entrants for active and supporting roles in supercapacitors. However, these materials often encounter significant limitations in storage performance due to the presence of inherent inactive edges. This study introduces a novel hierarchical architecture comprising carbon nanotube (CNT)-encapsulated MnS-MoSe₂ (MnS-MoSe₂@CNT) heterostructures synthesised using a facile probe sonication technique. The resulting MnS-MoSe₂@CNT framework demonstrates enhanced mechanical stability, rapid ion-diffusion pathways, and enhanced electrical conductivity. Morphological analyses indicate the effective incorporation of MnS nanoclusters onto MoSe₂ nanoplates, interconnected through the CNT network. Electrochemical characterisation reveals that the MnS-MoSe₂@CNT electrode has a noteworthy specific capacity of 828 C·g−1 at 2 A·g−1 and outstanding cycling robustness, maintaining 98.3% of its capacity over 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the fabricated device achieves a 247 F g−1 asymmetric capacitance at 2 A·g−1 and a specific energy of 88 Wh·kg−1 at 4500 W·kg-1 specific power, demonstrating 96.2% capacitance retention. This work delineates a robust approach for enriching the performance of transition metal chalcogenide-based heterostructure composite electrodes through a streamlined reduction process.