Impact of CTAB on morphology and electrochemical performance of MoS2 nanoflowers with improved lithium storage properties

The search for high capacity, low-cost electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries is a significant challenge in energy research. Among the numerous potential candidates, layered compounds such as MoS2 (Molybdenum Disulfide) have attracted increasing attention. A facile hydrothermal reduction process using hexadecyltrimethy ammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant was developed for the synthesis of lithium-ion battery anode material MoS2 nanoflowers. The impact of CTAB on morphology and electrochemical performance of MoS2 has been investigated. With the increase of CTAB content, MoS2 ultrathin nanosheets with high specific surface area and more active sites have been successfully synthesized. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that MoS2 nanoflowers synthesized with 1% content of CTAB have better electrochemical performance than others as anode materials for Li-ion batteries, which yield a high discharge capacity of 1245 mAh g(-1) at a current density of 50 mA g(-1) and a stable capacity retention of 740 mAh g(-1) until 100 electrochemical cycles.