Structural Properties and Phase Transition of Exfoliated-Restacked Molybdenum Disulfide

Abstract

The product of exfoliation and restacking of MoS₂ in acidic conditions is studied in detail using X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The temperature dependence of powder patterns reveals that the heating of exfoliated-restacked MoS₂ is a way to a new nanostructured MoS₂-based layered material that remains nanosized even upon heating to 850 °C. Previously this material has been described as 2H-MoS₂, but according to the X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, its structure cannot be correctly described by any of the “usual” MoS₂ polytypes. A model of the structure of the material describing its XRD patterns and thermal behavior is discussed in detail