Chemical functionalization of low-dimensional nanostructures has evolved as powerful tool to tailor the materials' properties on demand. For two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, functionalization strategies are mostly limited to the metallic 1T-polytype with only few examples showing a successful derivatization of the semiconducting 2H-polytype. Here, we describe that liquid-exfoliated WS 2 undergoes a spontaneous redox reaction with AuCl 3 . We propose that thiol groups at edges and defects sites reduce the AuCl 3 to Au 0 and are in turn oxidized to disulfides. As a result of the reaction, Au nanoparticles nucleate predominantly at edges with tuneable nanoparticle size and density. The drastic changes in nanosheet mass obtained after high loading with Au nanoparticles can be exploited to enrich the dispersions in laterally large, monolayered nanosheets by simple centrifugation. The optical properties (for example photoluminescence) of the monolayers remain pristine, while the electrocatalytic activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction is significantly improved.

In situ and operando spectroelectrochemistry are used to study the interfacial thermodynamics of few-layer MoS2 for (photo)electrocatalysis.

Thermal relaxation dynamics of resonantly excited plasmons is important in optoelectronic, medical, and catalytic applications. This work shows introducing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films enhanced thermoplasmonic dissipation coincident with internal reflection of incident resonant irradiation. Measured thermal emission and dynamics of AuNP–PDMS thin films exceeded emission and dynamics attributable by finite element analysis to Mie absorption, Fourier heat conduction, Rayleigh convection, and Stefan–Boltzmann radiation. Refractive-index matching experiments and measured temperature profiles indicated AuNP-containing thin films internally reflected light and dissipated power transverse to the film surface. Enhanced thermoplasmonic dissipation from metal–polymer nanocomposite thin films could affect opto- and bioelectronic implementation of these systems.