Annealing disintegrates Cu2MoS4 nanosheets into MoS2 and Cu2S nanoheterostructures

The hydrothermal synthesis and effect of annealing temperature on morphological and structural properties of Cu2MoS4 nanosheets are studied in this work. The as-grown Cu2MoS4 nanosheets are annealed in ambient Ar environment at different temperatures (250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 750, 1000 A degrees C). Suitable annealing disintegrates the Cu2MoS4 nanosheets into MoS2 and Cu2S nanoheterostructures. The annealing effect on prepared materials is characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The structural changes are observed during XRD analysis and corresponding morphological changes are studied through TEM. Raman spectroscopy is employed to study the vibrational modes of the materials and it also confirms the disintegration of Cu2MoS4 nanosheets into MoS2 and Cu2S nanoheterostructures. The influence of annealing temperature on binding energy of the Cu2MoS4 nanosheets is studied by XPS. The assembled nanoheterostructures are tested as anode material for the Li-ion battery and it shows significant specific capacity and cyclability.