Crystalline WS₂ via Room Temperature, Solution-Phase Synthesis

Crystalline tungsten disulfide (WS₂) has been prepared from the reaction of bis(cyclopentadienyl)tungsten dihydride with sulfur at room temperature and ambient pressure in organic solvents. WS₂ was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, resonance Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and the resulting WS₂ is highly crystalline by X-ray diffraction. The low-temperature synthesis is hypothesized to be a result of highly mobile surface W-Cp groups that are able to facilitate crystallization.