Hydrothermal synthesis of copper sulfide with novel hierarchical structures and its application in lithium-ion batteries

•Novel stick-like CuS hierarchical structures were fabricated by a hydrothermal approach use β-cyclodextrin as ligand and structure-directing agent.•The CuS stick-like structures are composed of tens to hundreds of well-arranged and self-assembled nanoplates with a thickness of about 25 nm.•β-cyclodextrin is found to be the key factor in controlling the morphologies.•The results reveal that the as-prepared CuS exhibits outstanding cycle stability, indicating that it might find possible application as a cathode material for Lithium-ion batteries in the long term.

Novel stick-like CuS hierarchical structures have been fabricated by a hydrothermal approach use β-cyclodextrin as ligand and structure-directing agent. SEM and TEM characterizations show that the CuS stick-like structures are composed of tens to hundreds of well-arranged and self-assembled nanoplates with a thickness of about 25 nm. The mechanism for the formation of the final stick-like hierarchical structures is proposed and discussed. β-cyclodextrin is found to be the key factor in controlling the morphologies. Meanwhile, the possibility of using CuS as the electrode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) is studied. Electrochemical measurements reveal that the as-prepared CuS exhibits outstanding cycle stability, indicating that it might find possible application as a cathode material for LIBs in the long term.