Catalysis Letters, Vol.141, No.4, 518-524, 2011
Rippled and Helical MoS2 Nanowire Catalysts: An Aberration Corrected STEM Study
Aberration corrected (C-s) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has been used for the first time to characterize MoS2 catalysts (supported on Al2O3 substrates) to provide detailed information of its shape and structure. The high-resolution imaging reveals unprecedented morphologies present in the MoS2 catalyst that have never been observed before with other experimental techniques because of the insufficient image contrast and/or resolution. High angle annular dark field (HAADF)-STEM images shows very clearly that the catalyst is formed by elongated chains with a twisted and helical structure. Based on the HAADF-STEM images, we built three atomic models to illustrate the different morphologies found in the MoS2 catalyst. The existence of these nanostructures opens the posibility for novel catalyticaly active edge morphologies in MoS2-based nanocatalysts.