Synthesis and Characterisation of Molybdenum Disulphide (MoS2) Nanopowders

Abstract

Nowadays, sustainably developed society with low carbon content is needed due to vulnerable increase in the global energy demand and to tackle the global warming. The stable and flexible high energy conversion and storage devices such as lithium-ion batteries and super-capacitors have attracted a great attention. In order to enhance the utility of these devices, a highly efficient, stable and cost effective catalytic material is required. In this scenario, the molybdenum disulphide has emerged as a promising catalyst due to its unique properties such as layered structure, high abundance, low cost and advantages over semi-metallic character of graphene. In the present study, the nano-size single phase molybdenum disulphide has been synthesized at 700 °C via single step reduction-sulphurization method in a specially designed autoclave. The structural and morphological properties are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The optical properties and band gap of as-prepared nanoparticles are studied by UVVisible spectroscopy. Both direct and indirect band gap were calculated from reflectance UV-Vis spectroscopy. The reaction mechanism based on these results has been proposed. The assynthesized samples are expected to be promising catalyst in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and their use as electrodes in lithium ion batteries.