Facile Synthesis of MPS₃/C (M = Ni and Sn) Hybrid Materials and Their Application in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Herein, we successfully synthesized two novel metal thiophosphites (MTPs) hybridized with carbon, that is, NiPS₃/C and SnPS₃/C composites, via an environment-friendly and cost-effective approach without harsh reaction conditions. Subsequently, the electrochemical performances of NiPS₃/C and SnPS₃/C composites have been investigated in coin-cells, and it is revealed that MTPs/C have a significantly higher Li-storage capacity and better stability compared to the MTPs without carbon. Moreover, the SnPS₃/C electrode shows a lower internal resistance and a better rate performance compared to NiPS₃/C. We employed extensive ex situ experiments to characterize the materials and interpreted the remarkably improved performance of MTPs/C.