Simultaneous Exfoliation and Colloidal Formation of Few-Layer Semiconducting MoS2 sheets in Water

A simple method allowing for simultaneous shear exfoliation of the MoS2 crystals into few-layer sheets and colloidal formation of the exfoliated sheets is presented. The method employs small molecular 1-pyrene-butyrate salts which provide a dual-role in the shear exfoliation process, i.e., exfoliation enhancer and stabilizing agent of the MoS2 sheets.