Preparation and electrical conductivity of polyethers/WS2 layered nanocomposites

Utilizing the solvothermal synthesis technique, lithium intercalated tungsten disulfide LixWS2 With X > 1 was obtained, which was allowed to react with water to the formation of single-molecule-layer suspension of tungsten disulfide. The layered nanocomposites PEG, PEO/WS2, intercalating poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, MW approximate to 1 x 10(3), 6 x 10(3), 1 x 10(4)) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, MW approximate to 3 x 10(5)) into the tungsten disulfide host galleries, were prepared using the improved exfoliation-adsorption technique. It was revealed that the intercalated polymers within the host galleries are in a double-layer arrangement with an interlayer expansion of about 9 angstrom. Despite high conductivity of the host material, those of the PEG, PEO/WS2 nanocomposites were found to be high in the order of 1 X 10(-2) to 10(-3) S cm(-1) at ambient temperature, resulted from the guest-host charge transfers. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.