ELECTROCHEMICAL DEPOSITION OF QUANTIZED PARTICLE MOS2 THIN-FILMS

Thin films of uniform MoS2 nanoparticles smaller than 10 nm, were prod uced by electrochemical deposition on conducting glass from nonaqueous solutions of (NH4)(2)MoS4 in ethylene glycol. The as-deposited films were x-ray amorphous with a composition determined by electron probe m icroanalysis close to MoS2. Transmission electron microscopy, selected area diffraction, and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) show ed that the particles are hexagonal 2H-MoS2 having a size distribution ranging from 3 to 10 nm. HREM showed clearly that the nanoparticles h ad flat facets and that they were deposited with their van der Waals ( 002) basal planes perpendicular to the substrate surface (type I textu re) exhibiting the (100) and (110) edge planes to the surface. Optical studies revealed size quantization effects in their optical absorptio n spectra.