The Effects of Morphology Re-Arrangements on the Pseudocapacitive Properties of Mesoporous Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) Nanoflakes

Mesoporous molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with different morphologies have been prepared via hydrothermal method using different solvents, water or water/acetone mixture. The MoS2 obtained with water alone gave a graphene-like nanoflakes (g-MoS2) while the other with water/acetone (1: 1 ratio) gave a hollow-like morphology (h-MoS2). Both materials are modified with carbon nanospheres as conductive material and investigated as symmetric pseudocapacitors in aqueous electrolyte (1 M Na2SO4 Mesoporoussolution). The physicochemical properties of the MoS2 layered materials have been interrogated using the surface area analysis (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and advanced electrochemistry including cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic cycling with potential limitation (GCPL), repetitive electrochemical cycling tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Interestingly, a simple change of synthesis solvents confers on the MoS2 materials different morphologies, surface areas, and structural parameters, correlated by electrochemical capacitive properties. The g-MoS2 exhibits higher surface area, higher capacitance parameters (specific capacitance of 183 F g(-1), maximum energy density of 9.2 Wh kg(-1) and power density of 2.9 kW kg(-1)) but less stable electrochemical cycling compared to the h-MoS2. The findings show promises for the ability to tune the morphology of MoS2 materials for enhanced energy storage. (C) The Author(s) 2016. Published by ECS. All rights reserved.