Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2016
A facile hydrothermal method was used to synthesize molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) microspheres. The effect of hydrothermal reaction time on morphology and electrochemical properties of MoS2 microspheres was evaluated. X-ray diffraction showed presence of crystalline MoS2 structure, where content of crystalline phase was observed to increase with hydrothermal reaction time. Electrochemical properties of MoS2 were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge in 3M KOH solution. Specific capacitance of nanostructured MoS2 was observed to be between 68 F/g and 346 F/g at different scan rates along with excellent cyclic stability. High power density (∼1200 W/kg) and energy density (∼5 Wh/kg) was observed for MoS2 sample synthesized for 24 hours of hydrothermal reaction time. Overall optimal electrocapactive performance was observed for sample prepared for 24 hours of reaction time. It is demonstrated that the obtained MoS2 microspheres with three-dimensional architecture has excellent electrochemical performances as electrode materials for supercapacitor applications.