A novel WS₂ nanowire-nanoflake hybrid material synthesized from WO₃ nanowires in sulfur vapor

In this work, WS₂ nanowire-nanoflake hybrids are synthesized by the sulfurization of hydrothermally grown WO₃ nanowires. The influence of temperature on the formation of products is optimized to grow WS₂ nanowires covered with nanoflakes. Current-voltage and resistance-temperature measurements carried out on random networks of the nanostructures show nonlinear characteristics and negative temperature coefficient of resistance indicating that the hybrids are of semiconducting nature. Bottom gated field effect transistor structures based on random networks of the hybrids show only minor modulation of the channel conductance upon applied gate voltage, which indicates poor electrical transport between the nanowires in the random films. On the other hand, the photo response of channel current holds promise for cost-efficient solution process fabrication of photodetector devices working in the visible spectral range.