Extraordinary attributes of 2-dimensional MoS2 nanosheets

The discovery of the amazing properties of graphene has stimulated exploration of single- and few-layer structures of layered inorganic materials. Of all the inorganic 2D nanosheet structures, those of MoS2 have attracted great attention because of their novel properties such as the presence of a direct bandgap, good field-effect transistor characteristics, large spin orbit splitting, intense photoluminescence, catalytic properties, magnetism, superconductivity, ferroelectricity and several other properties with potential applications in electronics, optoelectronics, energy devices and spintronics. MoS2 nanosheets have been used in lithium batteries, supercapacitors and to generate hydrogen. Highlights of the impressive properties of MoS2 nanosheets, along with their structural and spectroscopic features are presented in this Letter. MoS2 typifies the family of metal dichalcogenides such as MoSe2 and WS2 and there is much to be done on nanosheets of these materials. Linus Pauling would have been pleased to see how molybdenite whose structure he studied in 1923 has become so important today. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.