One-pot synthesis of ultrathin 1T-MoS2 nanosheets as efficient catalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

• Ultrathin 1T-MoS 2 nanosheets were synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal method. • Excess n (S)/ n (Mo) and moderate hydrothermal temperature are the key synthetic parameters. • The intercalated NH 3 molecules induced phase transformation from 2H-MoS 2 to 1T-MoS 2 . • The activity of 1T-MoS 2 is 2.6 times larger than 2H-MoS 2 in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. In present work, ultrathin 1T-MoS 2 nanosheets were synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method through NH 3 intercalation. The as-prepared 1T-MoS 2 nanosheets showed an outstanding 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction performance with apparent rate constant of 0.688 min −1 which was 2.6 times larger than that of 2H-MoS 2 counterpart. This work opens up new opportunities for designing promising MoS 2 -based materials as superior 4-NP reduction catalysts.