Hydrothermal synthesis of layer-controlled MoS2/graphene composite aerogels for lithium-ion battery anode materials

[Display omitted] •Layer-controlled MoS2/GA composites are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route.•Few-layer (5–15 layers) MoS2 nanosheets are decorated on the surface of GNS homogeneously and tightly.•The growth mechanism of the lay-controlled MoS2/GA composites is proposed.•The composite delivers high specific capacity of 1085.0mAhg−1 at 0.1Ag−1. Layer-controlled MoS2/graphene aerogels (MoS2/GA) composites are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route, in which few-layer (5–15 layers) MoS2 nanosheets with high crystalline are decorated on the surface of graphene nanosheets homogeneously and tightly. The number of the MoS2 layers can be easily controlled through adjusting the amount of molybdenum source in the reaction system. Moreover, the growth mechanism of the lay-controlled MoS2/GA composites is proposed. The three-dimensional MoS2/GA with macroporous micro-structure not only shortens the transportation length of electrons and ions, but also restrains the re-stacking of MoS2 effectively, stabilizing the electrode structure during repeated charging/discharging processes. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that this few-layer MoS2/GA composite exhibits a high reversible capacity of 1085.0mAhg−1 at current density of 100mAg−1, as well as extraordinarily high cycling stability and rate capability.