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Laser‐Directed Assembly of Nanorods of 2D Materials
Author(s) -
Ibrahim Khaled,
Novodchuk Inna,
Mistry Kissan,
Singh Michael,
Ling Christopher,
Sanderson Joseph,
Bajcsy Michal,
Yavuz Mustafa,
Musselman Kevin P.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201904415
Subject(s) - nanorod , materials science , tungsten disulfide , laser , nanotechnology , molybdenum disulfide , femtosecond , nanoparticle , boron nitride , optoelectronics , optics , composite material , physics
Abstract Herein, the previously unrealized ability to grow nanorods and nanotubes of 2D materials using femtosecond laser irradiation is demonstrated. In as short as 20 min, nanorods of tungsten disulfide, molybdenum disulfide, graphene, and boron nitride are grown in solutions. The technique fragments nanoparticles of the 2D materials from bulk flakes and leverages molecular scale alignment by nonresonant intense laser pulses to direct their assembly into nanorods up to several micrometers in length. The laser treatment process is found to induce phase transformations in some of the materials, and also results in the modification of the nanorods with functional groups from the solvent atoms. Notably, the WS 2 nanoparticles, which are ablated from semiconducting 2H WS 2 crystallographic phase flakes, reassemble into nanorods consisting of the 1T metallic phase. Due to this transition, and the 1D nature of the fabricated nanorods, the WS 2 nanorods display substantial improvements in electrical conductivity and optical transparency when employed as transparent conductors.