Hydrothermal synthesis of nanostructured β-LaS 2 thin films

Nanostructured lanthanum sulfide (β-LaS2) thin films are prepared by hydrothermal method. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows formation of orthorhombic crystal structure. The films have a direct band gap of 3.72 eV, useful for opto-electronic devices. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images of β-LaS2 films reveal 3D growth of nano-petals-like porous surface morphology. The synthesized films show hydrophilic nature with a contact angle of 46.9°. The β-LaS2 films exhibit supercapacitive electrochemical properties in 1 M of Na2SO4 electrolyte with a capacitance value of 121.42 Fg−1 at 5 mVs−1 scan rate. The cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge analyses show that β-LaS2 is a potential candidate for anode material with a potential window of − 1.15 to 0 V in supercapacitor application.