Properties of Copper and Molybdenum Sulfide Powders Produced by Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis

Copper and molybdenum sulfide nanopowders were prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis in argon. The initial copper powder and molybdenum powder were produced by electric spark dispersion in hexane and by electrical explosion of wires (EEW) in argon, respectively. The powders were studied by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The copper sulfide main phase is hexagonal 2H-CuS, whereas hexagonal 2H-MoS2 and rhombohedral 3R-MoS2 are characteristic for molybdenum disulfide. The lattice parameters of copper and molybdenum sulfides were calculated. The average particle size of copper sulfide and molybdenum disulfide powders was about 50 nm and 80 nm, respectively.