Chemical synthesis of molybdenum disulfidenanoparticles in an organic solution

Abstract

Molybdenum disulfide, MoS₂, nanoparticles can be synthesized either at high temperature as mono- and polycrystalline materials or at low temperature using various (electro)chemical routes. In the work presented, MoS₂ nanoparticles were obtained using a low temperature (140 °C) method via a chemical solution reaction route between the organometallic precursor Mo(CO)₆ and sulfur in p-xylene. As obtained, the MoS₂ nanoparticles of 10–30 nm diameter were mostly amorphous with a rounded shape. Upon annealing at 550 °C under vacuum, the nanoparticles lost their rounded shape and became slightly crystallized with curved (002) basal van der Waals planes (2H hexagonal structure). An increase of 2–4% in the d₍₀₀₂₎ spacing of the annealed MoS₂ nanoparticles compared to polycrystalline MoS₂ was observed. The size and shape of these nanoparticles play an important role for their properties, e.g. in catalysis and lubrication.