Hierarchical Nanosheet-Based MS2 (M = Re, Mo, W) Nanotubes Prepared by Templating Sacrificial Te Nanowires with Superior Lithium and Sodium Storage Capacity.

Hierarchical nanosheet-based nanotubes are very attractive because their unique structure endows them with large surface areas and exposes massive active sites for functional applications. We herein demonstrate a facile one-pot hydrothermal approach to fabricate the hierarchical nanosheet-based MS2 (M = Re, Mo, W) nanotubes by using Te nanowires as sacrificial templates. The hierarchical nanotubes show tube channels of ∼30 nm and hierarchical channel walls with a tunable thickness of up to ∼50 nm. As exemplified for application in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries, the ReS2 hierarchical nanotubes exhibit excellent specific capacities (1137 mA h g-1 for Li-ion batteries and 375 mA h g-1 for Na-ion batteries at 0.1 A g-1 after 100 cycles), good cycling stabilities, and high rate capabilities, demonstrating their promising applicability in rechargeable batteries. This work may open up new opportunities for further exploration of new types of hierarchical nanostructures for applications, e.g., in catalysis, energy chemistry, and gas adsorption and separation.