Issue 67, 2014

MoS2 nanosheet production by the direct exfoliation of molybdenite minerals from several type-localities

Abstract

Samples of the mineral molybdenite from three classic molybdenum mining localities were examined as a potential source of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets. In all cases, ultrasonication-promoted exfoliation of these samples in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) was found to produce MoS2 as dispersed nanosheets with lateral sizes in the range of 200–600 nm and thicknesses between 1 and 10 atomic trilayers. The MoS2 nanosheets obtained were found to be highly crystalline and largely defect-free, but tend to contain small amounts of aggregates on their surfaces. The exfoliated MoS2 dispersions were characterised by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. This work raises the possibility that mined, unrefined minerals could be a source of low-dimensional MoS2.

Graphical abstract: MoS2 nanosheet production by the direct exfoliation of molybdenite minerals from several type-localities

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Apr 2014
Accepted
06 Aug 2014
First published
07 Aug 2014
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2014,4, 35609-35613

Author version available

MoS2 nanosheet production by the direct exfoliation of molybdenite minerals from several type-localities

N. Savjani, E. A. Lewis, R. A. D. Pattrick, S. J. Haigh and P. O'Brien, RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 35609 DOI: 10.1039/C4RA03982C

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