Synthesis and electrochemical performance of colloidal MoS2 nanosheets as an anode material in sodium ion battery

•Precursor influenced dichalcogenide colloidal MoS2 nanosheets synthesized.•Mo(CO)6 precursor is excellent sources of molybdenum for MoS2 nanosheet.•Excellent first charge/discharge capacities of 150/310 mAhg−1 in NIB observed.•Finding new NIB anode materials are crucial for commercial application of NIB.

MoS2 nanosheets by utilizing MoO and Mo(CO)6 as a precursor sources of molybdenum were prepared by a colloidal route at 270 °C in Schlenk flask under the inert atmosphere. The as obtained layered and wrinkled nanosheets were then applied as anode materials in a sodium ion batteries (NIBs) in order to elucidate the electrochemical performances, where an excellent first and second charge/discharge capacities of 150/310 mAhg−1, 125/148 mAhg−1 with a good stability up to ∼30 cycles were obtained with the precursor source of Mo(CO)6. However the MoO employed precursor based nanosheets shows a substantially low first and second charge discharge capacities of 12/37 mAhg−1 and 10/14 mAhg−1. The FE-SEM and XRD shows the wrinkled layered structures in both the precursors with XRD pattern more prominent in the Mo(CO)6 precursor with 2θ peaks at 34°, 36°, and 59°. The excellent performance of nanosheets in the Mo(CO)6 precursor source could be ascribed to the efficient breakage of carbonyl ligands to form a well super saturated monomers followed by well crystallinity with defect free, stable morphology which could effectively withstand expansion/contraction occurring during the successive sodium ion insertion/extraction process.