The study of inorganic nanometer-scale
materials with hollow closed-cage
structures, such as inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanostructures and
inorganic nanotubes (INTs), is a rapidly growing field. Numerous kinds
of IF nanostructures and INTs were synthesized for a variety of applications,
particularly for lubrication, functional coatings, and reinforcement
of polymer matrices. To date, such nanostructures have been synthesized
mostly by heating a transition metal or oxide thereof in the presence
of precursor gases, which are however toxic and hazardous. In this
context, one frontier of research in this field is the development
of new avenues for the green synthesis of IF structures and INTs,
directly from the bulk of layered compounds. In the present work,
we demonstrate a simple room-temperature and environmentally friendly
approach for the synthesis of IF nanostructures and INTs via ultrashort-pulse
laser ablation of a mixture of transition-metal dichalcogenides in
bulk form mixed with Pb/PbO, in ambient air. The method can be considered
as a synergy of photothermally and photochemically induced chemical
transformations. The ultrafast-laser-induced excitation of the material,
complemented with the formation of extended hot annealing regions
in the presence of the metal catalyst, facilitates the formation of
different nanostructures. Being fast, easy, and material-independent,
our method offers new opportunities for the synthesis of IF nanostructures
and INTs from different bulk metal chalcogenide compounds. On the
basis of the capabilities of laser technology as well, this method
could advantageously be further developed into a versatile tool for
the simultaneous growth and patterning of such nanostructures in preselected
positions for a variety of applications.