Synthesis and growth mechanism of monodispersed MoS2 sheets/carbon microspheresElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c2ce06543f

Homogeneous and monodispersed microspheres consisting of MoS 2 sheets and amorphous carbon were solvothermally synthesized from Mo(CO) 6 and sulfur powder in i-propanol. Their special structure had high stability at high temperatures because amorphous carbon prevented the MoS 2 sheets from further stacking by heating. In order to clarify the growth mechanism of such a unique composite structure, the influence of experimental parameters on the morphology, structure and composition of the products was examined. The obtained results suggested that the formation of colloidal suspension was the key step to obtain homogeneous and monodispersed microspheres. Herein, the special structure of Mo(CO) 6 and its remarkable interaction with i-propanol caused the formation of colloidal suspension without addition of any surfactants. Schematic representation of the possible formation process of monodispersed MoS 2 carbon composite microspheres.