(541e) Wet Spinning of Transition Metal Chalcogenide Fibers

Fibers comprising of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) were fabricated by a facile wet spinning procedure utilizing a coagulation bath of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for inclusion into flexible supercapacitors. Stable dispersions consisting of MoS₂, carbon nanotubes, and surfactant were prepared and characterized by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) and x-ray photospectroscopy (XPS). The latter of which indicates the presence of both exfoliated sheets and non-exfoliated nanoplatelets. Morphology of the fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and electron diffraction spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) indicating that the exterior is principally comprised of MoS₂ nanoplatelets coated by carbon, the latter arising from the coagulation process. Meanwhile cross sections of the fiber reveal that the interior is predominantly MoS₂. The resultant fibers are durable, evident by the ability to be tied into knots, with mechanical properties similar to carbon nanotube fibers prepared in a similar fashion. Cyclic voltammetry measurements were performed in electrolyte solutions of H₂SO₄ and Na₂SO₄ in order to evaluate the ability of the wet spun fibers to serve as anodes in supercapacitor devices. Finally fibers prepared from tungsten disulfide (WS₂) were prepared to showcase the universality of this method towards other members in this class of transition metal chalcogenides (TMD).