Understanding the formation mechanism and the 3D structure of Mo(SxSe1−x)2 nanoflowers

What is it about?

We produced Molybdenum sulfide selenide alloys with different compositions that have nanoflower morphology. This morphology is important since we wanted to produce particles with as much exposed thin edges as possible. We then verified the composition and distribution of chalcogenides in the particles. Finally we performed a series of analyses to shed light on the formation mechanism of such particles.

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Why is it important?

Transition metal dichalcogenides show promise in the field of photocatalysis, specifically for water splitting through hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Since the catalytic site was previously established as the thin edges of the layers, morphologies that exposed as many thin layers as possible are desirable. In addition, allying different types of materials enables better control over the band gap and alignment for improved photocatalysis. We combined both approaches in this paper by producing alloys with nanoflower morphology that exposes many thin layers.