In Situ Synthesis of Metal Sulfide Nanoparticles Based on 2D Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheets

A general, facile, and robust approach for the in situ synthesis of metal sulfide nanoparticles (NPs) based on 2D MOF nanosheets was reported. The sulfidation reaction was carried out in ethanol in order to guarantee the good dispersity of 2D M-TCPP nanosheets and good solubility of TAA. The polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-capped Cu-TCPP nanosheets were first synthesized by using surfactant-assisted synthetic method. In the obtained 2D Cu-TCPP nanosheet, one TCPP ligand is metallated by one metal ion and linked by four metal paddle-wheel metal nodes to form a 2D layered structure. In a typical sulfidation reaction, after the ethanol solution containing Cu-TCPP nanosheets and TAA was heated at 75°C for 3 h, the obtained product was washed with ethanol and then precipitated by centrifugation. The TEM image shows that the morphology of Cu-TCPP nanosheets still maintains and some small CuS NPs are decorated on their surface. The SAED pattern confirms that the crystal structure of Cu-TCPP nanosheets was maintained. The high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) image demonstrates that the CuS NPs are single-crystalline.