Subcritical hydrothermal synthesis of amorphous molybdenum disulfide spheres

Amorphous MoS(2)spheres with diameters ranging from 150 nm to 1.5 mu m are successfully prepared following a reliable one-pot hydrothermal route using a homemade autoclave and inexpensive reactants, at a low temperature (160 degrees C) and a short reaction time (12 h). The obtained material is comprehensively characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning-electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction pattern reveals the amorphous structure of the prepared sample without stacking layers, whereas scanning-electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images indicate the formation of spheres with regular shape and morphology.