Fabrication and characterization of tectomer/MoS2 nanosheet hybrids

Abstract

Amino-terminated oligoglycines self-assemble into unique peptidic two-dimensional nanostructures called tectomers [1,2]. The exceptional structural and surface chemistry properties of tectomers can be exploited for the fabrication of functional materials and devices [3,4], in particular with other two-dimensional nanomaterials, since the contact at their interfaces is maximized enabling their surface modification and processing [3,5]. Interfacing tectomers with MoS2 nanosheets would therefore be an attractive strategy for tuning the physicochemical properties of this transition metal dichalcogenide [6]. In this work, MoS2 dispersions in cyclopentanone were prepared by liquid-phase exfoliation [7] and tectomer/MoS2 hybrid formation in cyclopentanone was achieved by phase transfer experiments from tectomers in aqueous solutions. Electron microscopy characterization reveals that MoS2 nanosheet stick on the surface of tectomer platelets. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization of the tectomer/MoS2 hybrids showed n-doping of MoS2, which was further confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Interesting opportunities for a variety of applications in electronics, sensors, and smart textile technologies, to name a few, can be envisioned for the tectomer/MoS2 hybrids reported here [8].