Single-Crystal γ-MnS Nanowires Conformally Coated with Carbon

What is it about?

We report the fabrication of single-crystal manganese sulfide nanowires (γ-MnS NWs) conformally coated with graphitic carbon. No evidence of α-MnS and β-MnS allotropes was found. The γ-MnS/C NWs have hexagonal cross-section and high aspect ratio (∼1000) on a large scale. The γ-MnS/C NWs are brittle with a Young’s modulus of 65 GPa. The bottom-up fabrication of γ-MnS/C NWs is governed by vapor-liquid-solid mechanism catalyzed by bimetallic Au–Ni nanoparticles. The γ-MnS/C acting as anode material outperforms the cycling stability of stable micro-sized α-MnS, with an initial capacity of 1036 mAh g–1 and a reversible capacity exceeding 503 mAh g–1 after 25 cycles. This research advances the integration of carbon materials and metal sulfide nanostructures, bringing forth new avenues for potential miniaturization strategies to fabricate 1D core/shell heterostructures with intriguing bifunctional properties that can be used as building blocks in nanodevices.

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