Preparation of WS2 Nanosheets from Lithium Intercalation for Hydrogen Evolution

In this content, the few-layered 1T-WS2 nanosheets were prepared by chemical exfoliation and applied to study hydrogen evolution reaction. Lithium were introduced from n-butyllithium in hexane solution and showed intercalation into the bulk WS2 powder to form the LixWS2 compound in a teflon lined autoclave at a temperature of 1000 o C for 5 hours. Different concentration of n-butyllithium solution were used with the intention of observing the as-prepared nanosheet properties and the influence on the hydrogen evolution reaction. After the LixWS2 powder reacted with DI-water and underwent ultrasonic treatment, the few-layered 1T-WS2 nanosheets were obtained. The size of the as-prepared nanosheets was in the scale of several hundred nanometers. The layer number of the sheets can be observed and determined as about the range of three to six layers. Furthermore, the measurements of UV-vis, TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope), AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) and hydrogen evolution reaction