Nanocasting synthesis of ordered mesoporous crystalline WSe2 as anode material for Li-ion batteries

• The first synthesis of ordered mesoporous WSe2 materials.
• High yield synthesis: 1 g of template leads to 5.5 g of products.
• High reversible capacity and stable cycling performance in lithium storage measurement.

An ordered mesoporous WSe2 material with crystalline frameworks is synthesized by a nanocasting method using mesoporous silica SBA-15 as a hard template. Phosphotungstic acid (H3PW12O40) and selenium powder are used as W and Se sources, respectively. The phosphotungstic acid precursor is impregnated inside the template and converted to WSe2 by H2Se, which is formed inside the tube furnace by the reaction between Se and H2 gas flow. The mesoporous WSe2 product has a highly ordered mesostructure and possesses rod-like particle morphology. The mesoporous WSe2 material displays good electrochemical properties with high reversible capacity (530 mA h/g) and stable cycling performance. The results suggest that the mesoporous WSe2 material may be a promising candidate for reversible storage of lithium ions.

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