<p>Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have received extensive attention in energy storage fields due to their advantages, for example, unique stratified structure, high theoretical capacity, and appropriate layer spacing. In this work, four kinds of electrode materials have been favorably synthesized via a sample hydrothermal method. Compared with the pure MoS₂ material, adding Se source during the hydrothermal process allows the material to be in-situ doped with an equal amount of Se, resulting in the formation of ternary MoSSe. Furthermore, acid treatment of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was introduced during the hydrothermal process to obtain MoSSe/CNTs composite materials. The MoSSe particles composed of numerous uniformly soft ultrathin nanosheets were scattered across the surface of acid-treated CNTs to form the 3D-network architecture MoSSe/CNTs. This structure would effectively prevent the lamellar reaggregation of the nanocluster, relieve structural variation during the storage process, and was beneficial for reduced Li⁺ diffusion barrier, thereby improving the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Based on these merits, the as-prepared MoSSe/CNTs promises a highly rate capability of 527&#xa0;mAh&#xa0;g⁻¹ at 5&#xa0;A&#xa0;g⁻¹ and an ascendant convertible capacity of 1296&#xa0;mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1&#xa0;A&#xa0;g⁻¹, outperforming other Mo-based electrodes in our work. This work may provide a little inspiration for developing high-rate and capacity enhancement LIBs anode materials.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>