Synthesis of Molybdenum Disulfide Nanowire Arrays Using a Block Copolymer Template

Abstract

A simple route for the synthesis of arrays of sub-20-nm-wide molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanowires using a self-assembled cylinder forming poly­(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) thin films is demonstrated. The protonated 2-vinylpyridine selectively seeds molybdenum precursors in the aqueous solution, and the precursors are converted to molybdenum sulfide during a sulfur annealing process. An ultraviolet cross-linking step is introduced to ensure the successful transfer of the morphologies of the block copolymer templates to the MoS2 nanowires. The nanowires transition from an amorphous to a crystalline MoS2 phase upon thermal annealing in the presence of sulfur, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. This work provides a pathway to large area, dense, spatially localized arrays of transition metal dichalcogenide nanowires for catalytic and sensing applications.

Photoluminescent Arrays of Nanopatterned Monolayer MoS2

“…In particular, BCPs have been used to pattern graphene into nanoribbons with sub‐10 nm widths for use in transistors, quantum dots, as well as hexagonal nanomesh . Thin films of BCPs have been employed in templating the growth of 3D crystalline nanoparticles and nanowires of TMDs . To date there is little work on the direct patterning of 2D monolayer TMDs with BCPs to generate nanostructures and the comprehensive study of the impact this has on the direct band gap photoluminescence emission from monolayer TMDs such as MoS 2 .…”

Stimulated Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Activity of MOF‐Derived MoS2 Basal Domains via Charge Injection through Surface Functionalization and Heteroatom Doping

“…

catalytic activity of the Mo-terminated edge sites, while the basal planes, which constitute the majority of the structure, are catalytically inactive. [5][6][7][8][9] However, catalytic activity of these nanostructures is found to be restricted by the availability of the edge sites in the structure, whose density is generally less significant relative to that of the basal planes. One approach is morphology engineering, which focuses on maximizing the exposure of edge sites through nanostructuring.

…”

“…Various approaches have been proposed to engineer MoS 2 structure with the aim of increasing the density of active sites. One approach is morphology engineering, which focuses on maximizing the exposure of edge sites through nanostructuring . However, catalytic activity of these nanostructures is found to be restricted by the availability of the edge sites in the structure, whose density is generally less significant relative to that of the basal planes.…”

Diblock Copolymers with Similar Glass Transition Temperatures in Both Blocks for Comparing Shear Orientation Processes with DPD Computer Simulations

“…The dynamics of block copolymers (BCPs) exposed to an external field and the resulting collective behavior like viscoelastic properties and the orientation of randomly oriented grains are still only incompletely understood . With a deeper understanding of these dynamics, the formation of macroscopically oriented domains could be optimized to form macroscopically anisotropic materials for nanoscale patterning and other technical applications . Often different properties of the polymers in BCPs are desired to tune the materials for different applications and further create new properties which are unique for BCPs, e.g., multiblock copolymers with different glass transition temperatures in the different polymer blocks as thermoplastic elastomers .…”