Ultrafast synthesis of MoS2 or WS2-reduced graphene oxide composites via hybrid microwave annealing for anode materials of lithium ion batteries

•An ultrafast strategy to synthesize metal sulfides anchored on RGO.•The high performance of MoS2/RGO and WS2/RGO electrodes as lithium ion battery.•MoS2/RGO exhibits a high and stable specific capacity of 512 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1.

An ultrafast and simple strategy to synthesize metal sulfides (MoS2 and WS2) anchored on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composites is reported as anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Metal sulfide nanocrystals with homogeneous dispersion onto conducting RGO sheets are obtained in only 45 s by hybrid microwave annealing (HMA) method. The synthesized materials, especially MoS2/RGO composite, exhibit a high Li capacity, an excellent rate capability, and a stable cycling performance, comparable to the reported best MS2/carbon composite electrodes. The results highlight the effectiveness of HMA method to fabricate the metal sulfide/RGO composites with excellent electric properties.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide