CTAB-assisted synthesis of MoS2/C nano-flowers with improved electrochemical performances for lithium ion batteries

Abstract

MoS2/C composites were prepared by a simple CTAB assistant thermal reduction method using sodium molybdate, thiourea and CTAB as starting materials. The samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, and TG. It is confirmed that the amorphous carbon is partially inserted into the interlayer spaces of molybdenum disulfide and inhibits the accumulation of (002) plane. Meanwhile, the electrochemical properties were studied in detail. As a consequence, the MoS2/C composites have better electrochemical performance than pure MoS2. The composite synthesized by adding 0.025 g CTAB shows the best electrochemical performance. The initial discharge capacity was 730 mAh/g and a stable capacity above 415 mAh/g was retained for 100 cycles tested at 100 mA/g. At last, the possible growth mechanism of the MoS2/a-C composites and the influence of different micro-morphology are also calculated.