Materials Today Communications 25 (2020) 101664 Available online 14 September 2020 2352-4928/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Recent advances on the preparation and electrochemical analysis of MoS 2 -based materials for supercapacitor applications: A mini-review Ismaila Taiwo Bello a, *, Adewale Odunayo Oladipo b , Oluwaseun Adedokun c , Simon Mokhotjwa Dhlamini a, * a Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg 1710, South Africa b Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg 1710, South Africa c Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Molybdenum sulfide Electrochemical Supercapacitor Nanostructure Composite ABSTRACT Molybdenum-based supercapacitors, a fast promising area where researchers are exploring the possibilities of improving the performance of its electrode materials and their derivatives for energy storage. Molybdenum sulfide (MoS 2 ) has attracted considerable interest because of its superior properties as a supercapacitor-based material. In this mini-review, the wet-chemical methods of preparing MoS 2 and their electrochemical proper- ties were summarized. The preparation methods and their composite substrates of MoS 2 based supercapacitors have been highlighted to be one of the determining factors for improving the electrochemical output being re- ported. This review suggested that the modified methods of preparation and appropriate composite materials can enhance the supercapacitor properties of MoS 2 based materials. Finally, we explore the future opportunities for advance storage potential presented by MoS 2 based materials. 1. Introduction The environmental risks, high costs, and declining availability of fossil fuels have called to the development of sustainable, clean, and green forms of energy. The intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, such as solar, produces energy only when the sun has higher intensity, and wind, which produces energy only when the wind is blowing. The better alternatives preferred to cater to the problem of utilizing these renewable energy sources are supercapacitors and bat- teries [1,2]. Consequently, the two main types of electrochemical energy storage devices (i.e., batteries and supercapacitors), have attracted in- terest for future energy storage applications. Supercapacitors are considered a rapidly increasing innovative technology because of their two exceptional properties: (1) long-term cycling stability and (2) high power performance [3–5]. The low energy content of supercapacitors, however, limits their potential future use when compared with batteries [6]. Supercapacitors, or electrochemical capacitors, have attracted intense attention because of their high power density, their charge- discharge rates, and higher magnitude of energy density they possessed compared to batteries and other conventional capacitors. Research on supercapacitors is important because the supercapacitor and battery-derived hybrid power system can optimize device power performance. The various mechanisms for storing energy have classified the supercapacitor into two groups. The first type is the Electric Double Layer Capacitor (EDLC), which is based on energy charge electrostatic storage. At the electrode/electrolyte interface, no charge is transferred, which can store charges by non-faradaic reactions. In other words, there have been no electrochemical reactions. The second category is pseudo- capacitors, which use reactions to transfer charges for storage purposes by faradaic reactions [7]. Recently, several efforts have been dedicated to providing new electrode (negative and positive) materials for supercapacitor applica- tions in energy storage devices. Supercapacitor, as energy storage de- vices has many benefits such as environmental friendliness, short-time charge/discharge, and impressive power densities. Carbon-based ma- terials (such as carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene and activated carbon) and transition metals (such as Tungsten Disulfide (WS 2 ), Mo- lybdenum Sulfide (MoS 2 ), and Vanadium Sulfide (VS 2 )) are commonly used in energy storage applications. Owing to their intrinsic strength, * Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses: ismailbello26@gmail.com (I.T. Bello), dhlamms@unisa.ac.za (S.M. Dhlamini). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Materials Today Communications journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mtcomm https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2020.101664 Received 1 July 2020; Received in revised form 3 September 2020; Accepted 7 September 2020