Millisecond Laser Ablation of Molybdenum Target in Reactive Gas toward MoS₂ Fullerene-Like Nanoparticles with Thermally Stable Photoresponse

Abstract

As a promising material for photoelectrical application, MoS₂ has attracted extensive attention on its facile synthesis and unique properties. Herein, we explored a novel strategy of laser ablation to synthesize MoS₂ fullerene-like nanoparticles (FL-NPs) with stable photoresponse under high temperature. Specifically, we employed a millisecond pulsed laser to ablate the molybdenum target in dimethyl trisulfide gas, and as a result, the molybdenum nanodroplets were ejected from the target and interacted with the highly reactive ambient gas to produce MoS₂ FL-NPs. In contrast, the laser ablation in liquid could only produce core–shell nanoparticles. The crucial factors for controlling final nanostructures were found to be laser intensity, cooling rate, and gas reactivity. Finally, the MoS₂ FL-NPs were assembled into a simple photoresponse device which exhibited excellent thermal stability, indicating their great potentialities for high-temperature photoelectrical applications