Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Nanostructured WS2: A Mini-Review

The nanostructured transition metal dichalcogenides, ranging from two-dimensional layers, one-dimensional nanotubes or rods, and zero-dimensional quantum dots, have been investigated extensively in the recent past because of their unique and promising properties, including a suitable non-zero band gap that can be tailored, tuned, and engineered by varying different extrinsic parameters, making them suitable for targeted applications. Tungsten disulfide, which belongs to the transition metal dichalcogenide group, is suitable for various types of electronic and optoelectronic applications. The properties of transition metal dichalcogenides, suitable for different applications, depend on the method of synthesis and are even influenced by variations in synthesis parameters for a particular method. Different top-down and bottom-up methods of synthesis have been reported for nanostructured WS2, mentioning the advantages and disadvantages of each method, different types of synthesis parameter variations, and possible permutations and combinations—comparing methods, mapping them to the quality of the end product, and then to the targeted applications. This paper reviews recent reported advances in the synthesis of WS2, with underlying opportunities and challenges, with emphasis on different types of reported applications. This review will provide a roadmap for future work related to further advancements in the synthesis of nanostructured WS2 and its applications.