Abstract
Liquid phase exfoliation of two-dimensional materials by the plasma-induced method is one of the favorable and low-cost methods for fast preparation of molybdenum disulfide nanosheets. In this report, we study the role of electrolytes media in the plasma-induced process with the comparison of exfoliation of MoS2 in both base and acid electrolyte. By using NaOH and H2SO4 electrolyte in the electrolysis plasma system, bulk material of MoS2 was exfoliated to MoS2 nanosheets. The high crystalline of a few MoS2 nanosheets with hundred nanometers lateral size was obtained. Interestingly, the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy exhibited that MoS2 nanosheets obtained by using acidic electrolyte show a slight increase of interlayer spacing. The thermal expansion in the explosion of plasma and the synergic of different kinds of ions play an important role in the exfoliation of a few MoS2 nanosheets. These results reveal the important understanding of the intercalation of electrolyte ion into the exfoliation of MoS2 nanosheets in the plasma-induced process.
