Abstract
Two tungsten disulfide (WS2)-based core-shell nanocomposites were fabricated using readily available reagents and simple procedures. The surface was pre-treated with a surfactant couple in a layer-by-layer approach, enabling good dispersion of the WS2 nanostructures in aqueous media and providing a template for the polymerization of a silica (SiO2) shell. After a Stöber-like reaction, a conformal silica coating was achieved. Inspired by the resulting nanocomposite, a second one was prepared by reacting the surfactant-modified WS2 nanostructures with aniline and an oxidizing agent in an aqueous medium. Here too, a conformal coating of polyaniline (PANI) was obtained, giving a WS2@PANI nanocomposite. Both nanocomposites were analyzed by electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and FTIR, verifying the core-shell structure and the character of shells. The silica shell was amorphous and mesoporous and the surface area of the composite increases with shell thickness. Polyaniline shells slightly differ in their morphologies dependent on the acid used in the polymerization process and are amorphous like the silica shell. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of the WS2@PANI nanocomposite showed variation between bulk PANI and the PANI shell. These two nanocomposites have great potential to expand the use of transition metals dichalcogenides (TMDCs) for new applications in different fields.
Highlights
Nanostructures of tungsten disulfide (WS2) were discovered 25 years ago [1] and have been continuously studied ever since
We report the preparation and characterization of two new core-shell nanocomposites—WS2@SiO2 and WS2@PANI
The preparation protocols we present here are simple, making use of readily available reagents, instrumentation and techniques and allow the formation of two highly functional polymeric shells and serve as a synthetic platform for further developments in transition metals dichalcogenides (TMDCs) functionalization
Summary
Nanostructures of tungsten disulfide (WS2) were discovered 25 years ago [1] and have been continuously studied ever since. The “soft” sulfur surface layer has a tendency to bind with other nanoparticles containing soft transition metal cations This strategy was used for reversible functionalization of WS2 nanotubes and MoS2 IFs with MnO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, ZnO, gold and platinum nanoparticles [20,21,22]. It improves dispersibility in a wide range of media, especially aqueous It provides the option for further surface modification of the nanocomposite through the use of functional silicates and attachment of different molecules, such as dyes, to the coating. This opens possible applications for the nanocomposites in the biomedical field, electrochemistry, textile, plastics and more. We are hopeful that these nanocomposites will inspire other first- and second-level surface functionalizations of WS2 and other TMDC nanoparticles and expand their existing uses
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