Synthesis and characterization of hollow MoS2 microspheres grown from MoO3 precursors

Mono-dispersed molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) microspheres with the diameter of 2-4 μm have been successfully synthesized with MoO3 as precursors by a hydrothermal method. The precursors, long and smooth MoO3 macrobelts, were synthesized through a facile route. The combined techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive (EDS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Raman spectra, and UV-visible spectrophotometer (UV-vis) were used for characterization of the as-prepared MoS2. It was found that the MoS2 microspheres were assembled by MoO3 macrobelts and the belts-like structure of the precursor played a crucial role on the formation of the MoS2 microstructures in our experiment. A possible formation mechanism of the hollow sphere-like MoS2 structure was preliminarily presented on the basis of the experimental facts.