Facile Synthesis Route for Bulk Production of Complex Fullerene-Like MoS Nanostructures With Enhanced Tribological Properties.

Molybdenum-based nanoparticles are often used as oil additives to enhance a material's tribological performance. Here, we present a highly efficient synthetic route for the bulk production of two types of MoS nanostructures: multi-wall nanotubes and fullerene-like nanostructures. The presented two-step synthesis involves the transformation of ammonium heptamolybdate tetrahydrate and aniline into precursor nanowires, which are later transformed into MoS through heating in a HS, H, and argon atmosphere to approximately 800 °C. Depending on the heating rate, we successfully grew MoS layered compounds in various shapes and sizes. The resulting structures and compositions were characterised by X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. To assess the application potential of these MoS compounds, they were dispersed in polyalphaolefin (PAO 6) oil. Improved tribological properties were observed compared to typically used transition metal dichalcogenides.