Influence of laser wavelength on the optical and structural properties of MoS2 nanoparticles prepared via laser irradiation in ethylene glycol

Abstract

MoS2 nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by nanosecond (ns) laser ablation in ethylene glycol using a Q-switched neodymium:ytterbium aluminum garnet laser at 1064 and 532 nm laser wavelengths. The influence of laser wavelengths in ns laser production of MoS2 NPs is not yet fully understood. The shape, structure, crystalline phase, stability, and optical and photoluminescence (PL) properties of NPs were studied using TEM, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray, x-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis), PL, Fourier transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopy. The UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy showed that the optimum laser wavelength for preparing MoS2 NPs is 1064 nm. Also, the absorption peak intensity of MoS2 NPs prepared at 1064 nm was 3.95 times higher than that at a 532 nm wavelength. In the case of ablation with 1064 nm, the most of NPs had spherical shapes and well dispersed compared with 532 nm. While the samples had the same crystalline structure for both wavelengths, as the laser wavelength increased, the mean particle size decreased from 22 to 13 nm. This is because of a photofragmentation phenomenon.