Low-Temperature Synthesis of Near-Monodisperse Globular MoS2 Nanoparticles with Sulphur Powders

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) with high uniformity have been extensively investigated for their excellent chemical stability. Near-monodisperse globular MoS2 NPs were prepared with sulphur powders (SPs) as a sulphur source by a one-pot polyol-mediated process without surfactants, transfer agents and toxic agents at 170–190[Formula: see text]C. The as-processed SPs greatly affected the formation of the MoS2 NPs after low-activity sulphur (S8)n was reassembled from common SPs (S[Formula: see text]. The average size of MoS2 NPs can be reduced remarkably from 100–200[Formula: see text]nm to 50[Formula: see text]nm by introducing low amounts of MnCl2. A preliminary four-step growth mechanism based on the aggregation-coalescence model was also proposed. This green and simple method may be an alternative to the common hot-injection and heating-up methods for the preparation of monodisperse NPs, particularly transition metal dichalogenides.