Electrochemical lithiation/delithiation performances of 3D flowerlike MoS2 powders prepared by ionic liquid assisted hydrothermal route

3D (three-dimensional) flowerlike MoS2 was fabricated by hydrothermal synthesis assisted with an ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM][BF4]), and characterized by XRD (X-ray diffractometer) and FESEM (field-emission scanning electron microscopy). It was found that the ionic liquid played a crucial role on MoS2 morphology. The MoS2 prepared with IL-assisted hydrothermal route was 3D flowerlike architecture, which was built from MoS2 nanoflakes. The MoS2 prepared without IL was nanosheets overlaped each other. Both of the as-prepared MoS2 samples were mainly amorphous. The 3D flowerlike MoS2 prepared with IL-assisted hydrothermal route exhibited significantly enhanced the electrochemical lithiation/delithiation performances. Its reversible capacity and cycling durability were better than those of the MoS2 nanosheets prepared without IL. Although, the MoS2 samples with high crystallinity could be gained by their annealing at 800 °C in the atmosphere of N2/H2, the annealing lead to great decrease in their electrochemical lithiation/delithiation capacity and cycling durability.