Structural transformation of tungsten oxide nanourchins into IF-WS ₂ nanoparticles: An aberration corrected STEM study

IF-WS₂ nanoparticles synthesized starting from tungsten oxide nanourchins have been investigated by using aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (C_s-STEM). The synthesis process produced IF-WS₂ nanoparticles of two different and well differentiated ranges of size. High resolution HAADF-STEM images and their comparison with simulated STEM micrographs reveal the predominance of stacking of the type 1T close to the border of the structure; the observation of this kind of stacking, observed previously in IF-MoS₂ but never reported before in the case of the IF-WS₂ nanostructures, adds a new dimension to the existing understanding of structure and stacking in the case of the nanostructures of transition metal chalcogenides.