Synthesis and Characterization of WS2 Nanotubes

Abstract

High-purity WS2 nanotubes were synthesized on a relatively large scale by thermal decomposition of amorphous/nano (NH4)2WS4 in a floating hydrogen and thiophene atmosphere at a heating temperature of 360−450 °C. Extensive investigations of WS2 nanotubes by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron microscopy, and Brunauer−Emmett−Teller measurements were reported. Our improved route yielded large quantities of open-ended WS2 nanotubes with an average length of 5 μm, an outer diameter of 25−50 nm, an inner diameter of up to 20 nm, and an interlayer spacing of 0.62 nm. The present study is also of interest because it provides a clue to better understanding the inside out growth mechanism of WS2 nanotubes, and this can be extended for the synthesis of other metal-sulfide nanostructural materials.