The interaction of MoS2 sheets produced by chemical exfoliation of LiMoS2 in liquid media with trinuclear metal carboxylate complexes of the general formula [M-3(O2CR)(6)L-3](n+) (M = Fe, Co; R = CH3, C(CH3)(3), CH2N+(CH3)(3); L = H2O or pyridine) was studied. The composition, structure and dispersity of the obtained materials as well as the distribution of magnetically active metal cations within their particles were analyzed on the basis of PXRD, SEM, TEM, HAADF-STEM, TGA-MS and magnetic measurements data. The interaction process was found to result in the displacement of the important part of carboxylate ligands from coordination environment of metal ions and formation of metal oxide-like nanoclusters. These nanoclusters are distributed within the surface of MoS2 sheet packets of the thickness of 4-6 nm, which are formed due to restacking of exfoliated MoS2. The metal complexes strongly influence sheet restacking, leading to a significantly lower (up to similar to 1.5 times) thickness of the sulfide packets than in their absence. The metal atoms constituting oxide nanoclusters exhibit strong antiferromagnetic interactions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.