MoS₂-Based All-Purpose Fibrous Electrode and Self-Powering Energy Fiber for Efficient Energy Harvesting and Storage

Here an all-purpose fibrous electrode based on MoS₂ is demonstrated, which can be employed for versatile energy harvesting and storage applications. In this coaxial electrode, ultrathin MoS₂ nanofilms are grown on TiO₂ nanoparticles coated carbon fiber. The high electrochemical activity of MoS₂ and good conductivity of carbon fiber synergistically lead to the remarkable performances of this novel composite electrode in fibrous dye-sensitized solar cells (showing a record-breaking conversion efficiency of 9.5%) and high-capacity fibrous supercapacitors. Furthermore, a self-powering energy fiber is fabricated by combining a fibrous dye-sensitized solar cell and a fibrous supercapacitor into a single device, showing very fast charging capability (charging in 7 s under AM1.5G solar illumination) and an overall photochemical-electricity energy conversion efficiency as high as 1.8%. In addition, this wire-shaped electrode can also be used for fibrous Li-ion batteries and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions. These applications indicate that the MoS₂-based all-purpose fibrous electrode has great potential for the construction of high-performance flexible and wearable energy devices.