Synthesis of MoS2 Inorganic Nanotubes using Different Metals as a Growth Promoter

Olga Brontvein, Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Reshef Tenne, Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Inorganic nanotubes became a world popular research subject in recent years. Recent studies have clearly indicated the favorable effect of Pb as a growth promoter for MX₂ (M=Mo,W; X=S,Se) nanotubes using MX₂ powder as a precursor material¹. A new procedure for MoS₂ nanotubes synthesis is presented here. First a homogeneous molybdenum suboxide phase, which was stabilized by different metals ((Mo_xM_1-x)₅O₁₄, where M=V, Nb), was synthesized. Then later, this metal stabilization enables a conversion of the synthesized phase to MoS₂ nanotubes in large quantities. Figure 1 shows SEM and TEM images of created MoS₂ nanotubes using V as a growth promoter.

Figure 1: MoS₂ INT synthesized using V as a growth promoter. (a) SEM image, (b) TEM image.

1. (a) Brontvein, O.; Stroppa, D. G.; Popovitz-Biro, R.; Albu-Yaron, A.; Levy, M.; Feuerman, D.; Houben, L.; Tenne, R.; Gordon, J. M., New High-Temperature Pb-Catalyzed Synthesis of Inorganic Nanotubes. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2012, 134 (39), 16379-16386; (b) Brontvein, O.; Jayaram, V.; Reddy, K. P. J.; Gordon, J. M.; Tenne, R., Two-step Synthesis of MoS₂ Nanotubes using Shock Waves with Lead as Growth Promoter. Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie 2014, 640 (6), 1152-1158.