Tuning of structural and optical properties with enhanced catalytic activity in chemically synthesized Co-doped MoS nanosheets.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanosheets, due to having a highly active nature, being low cost and having unique physical and chemical properties, have shown their efficacy in the catalytic reduction of nitroarenes. Doping of transition metal ions in molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanosheets is a well-known strategy to enhance their catalytic efficiency for the reduction of nitroarenes, however, finding the optimum dopant amount is still a subject of ongoing research. Herein, we have synthesized few-layered cobalt (Co) doped MoS nanosheets with different cobalt content (2%, 4%, 6% and 8%) through the solvothermal approach, taking sodium molybdate dihydrate (NaMoO·2HO), thiourea (CHNS) and cobalt acetate tetrahydrate [Co(CHCOO)·4HO] as precursors and their catalytic performance has been affirmed by monitoring the reduction of -nitrophenol by NaBH in real time using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy.