Abstract
Scalable production of high-quality MoS2 nanosheets remains challenging for industrial applications and research in basic sciences. N-methyl-2pyrrolidine (NMP) is a commonly used solvent for exfoliation of MoS2 nanosheets having further disadvantage of slow volatility rate. The present study demonstrates a cost-effective facile chemical route to synthesize few-layer MoS2 nanosheets using acetone as a solvent and by varying bulk initial concentration of samples to scale up the production in large scale to fulfill the demand for potential applications. In our study, we aim to obtain stable growth of high quality few layer MoS2 nanosheets by long sonication times. Optical absorption spectra, Raman spectra, size of nanosheets and layer thickness of as-grown MoS2 nanosheets were found to be matching with those obtained from other synthesis methods. Effective photocatalytic performance of MoS2 nanosheets without being consumed as a reactant was experimented by decomposing Methylene Blue dye in aqueous solution under irradiation of visible light. This study provides an idea to synthesize low-cost, sustainable and efficient photocatalytic material in large scale for the next generation to control water pollution quite efficiently by protecting the environment from the contamination coming from these dyes.
Highlights
Scalable production of high-quality MoS2 nanosheets remains challenging for industrial applications and research in basic sciences
Our work shows that as grown solid, stable and insoluble M oS2 nanosheets prepared from this cost-effective synthesis approach can be used as promising future photocatalytic materials to control water pollution by degrading this hazardous compound such as Methylene blue (MB) under the irradiation of visible light instead of UV light
A dispersion of MoS2 nanosheets prepared with different initial concentrations of bulk powder in acetone was characterized by UV–VIS–NIR spectroscopy (Fig. 2a, b)
Summary
Scalable production of high-quality MoS2 nanosheets remains challenging for industrial applications and research in basic sciences. We aim to obtain stable growth of high quality few layer MoS2 nanosheets by long sonication times. The drastical changes in bandgap from near infrared to the visible range (bulk MoS2 has an indirect band gap ~ 1.23 eV and the band gap rises up to ~ 1.9 eV after reduction of layers up to monolayer by exfoliation) opens abundant scope for this material in energy variable photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications, photocatalysis, electronic and electrochemical storage d evices[1,2,3,4]. Material and (5) quantum size effect (due to reduction of particle size)[5] To this date, production of high quality, lofty yield, very thin and large area MoS2 film remains challenging. Sonication with the addition of surfactant gives a good yield but after filtering the surfactant the layers start to r estack[7,8,9]
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