Facile synthesis, structure and physical properties of 3R-AxNbS2 (A = Li, Na)

Abstract Here we report the facile synthesis of alkali metal intercalation compounds A x NbS 2 (A = Li, Na) through the reaction of bulk 3 R phase of NbS 2 with organometallic compounds in solution. Especially, the Na insertion compound of various compositions was obtained as a new polytype of A x NbS 2 compared with the 2 H phase reported previously. Upon intercalation the structure of the host was preserved, which was confirmed by XRD and HRTEM analysis. The interlayer distances for Li 0.44 NbS 2 and Na 0.87 NbS 2 were expanded by 0.187 A and 0.938 A as a result of Li and Na intercalation, respectively. The electrical transport properties were studied in the temperature range 4–298 K, exhibiting metallic conductivity and slight variation in the resistivity value in general. Interestingly, a minimum resistivity which was ascribed to the localized electrons in the crystal lattice emerged for all the investigated samples.