WS 2 Nanotubes, 2D Nanomeshes, and 2D In-Plane Films Through One Single Chemical Vapor Deposition Route

We demonstrate a versatile, catalyst free Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process on insulating substrates capable of producing in one single stream one dimensional (1D) WO 3-x suboxides leading to a wide range of substrate-supported 2H-WS polymorphs: a tunable class of out-of-plane (of the substrate) nanophases, with 1D nanotubes and a pure WS 2 , two dimensional (2D) nanomesh (defined as a network of webbed, micron-size, few-layer 2D sheets) at its extremes; and in-plane (parallel to the substrate) mono- and few-layer 2D domains. This entails a two-stage approach in which the 2WO 3 + 7S → 2WS 2 + 3SO 2 reaction is intentionally decoupled: first, various morphologies of nanowires or nanorods of high stoichiometry, WO 2.92 /WO 2.9 suboxides (belonging to the class of Magneli’s phases) were formed, followed by their sulfurization to undergo reduction to the aforementioned WS polymorphs. The continuous transit...