Synthesis and Characterization of Cobalt-Doped WS2 Nanorods for Lithium Battery Applications

Cobalt-doped tungsten disulfide nanorods were synthesized by an approach involving exfoliation, intercalation, and the hydrothermal process, using commercial WS2 powder as the precursor and n-butyllithium as the exfoliating reagent. XRD results indicate that the crystal phase of the sample is 2H-WS2. TEM images show that the sample consists of bamboo-like nanorods with a diameter of around 20 nm and a length of about 200 nm. The Co-doped WS2 nanorods exhibit the reversible capacity of 568 mAh g-1 in a voltage range of 0.01-3.0 V versus Li/Li+. As an electrode material for the lithium battery, the Co-doped WS2 nanorods show enhanced charge capacity and cycling stability compared with the raw WS2 powder.