Inorganic nanotubes: From WS2 to “misfit” layered compounds

Abstract This is an edited transcript of the Von Hippel Award address given on November 28 at the 2023 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting & Exhibit in Boston, Massachusetts. Updates on the synthesis, characterization, and properties of inorganic nanotubes from two-dimensional (2D) compounds, such as WS 2 , and from misfit layered compounds are reported. The stability of nanotubes from 2D compounds is discussed from theoretical and experimental perspectives. A few recent experiments encompassing the optical, electrical, electro-optical, and electromechanical effects of WS 2 (MoS 2 ) nanotubes are discussed as well. Potential applications and concluding remarks are given at the end of the presentation. The Von Hippel Award is the Materials Research Society’s highest honor, recognizing those qualities most prized by materials scientists and engineers—brilliance and originality of intellect, combined with vision that transcends the boundaries of conventional scientific disciplines. Tenne is cited “for spearheading modern research on nano-2D materials through the discovery of nanotube- and fullerene-like inorganic layered compounds .” Graphical abstract