Tungsten disulfide thin films electrodeposition from a single source precursor

• Published in: Chemical communications (Cambridge, England) England), 2021-10, Vol.57 (79), p.1194-1197
• Main Authors: Thomas, Shibin, Greenacre, Victoria K, Smith, Danielle E, Noori, Yasir J, Abdelazim, Nema M, Hector, Andrew L, de Groot, C. H. (Kees), Levason, William, Bartlett, Philip N, Reid, Gillian
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 1359-7345; 1364-548X
• DOI: 10.1039/d1cc03297f

We report a simple process for the electrodeposition of tungsten disulfide thin films from a CH 2 Cl 2 -based electrolyte using a tailored single source precursor, [NEt 4 ] 2 [WS 2 Cl 4 ]. This new precursor incorporates the 1 : 2 W   :   S ratio required for formation of WS 2 , and eliminates the need for an additional proton source in the electrolyte to remove excess sulfide. The electrochemical behaviour of [NEt 4 ] 2 [WS 2 Cl 4 ] is studied by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance techniques, and the WS 2 thin films are grown by potentiostatic electrodeposition. [NEt 4 ] 2 [WS 2 Cl 4 ], which incorporates the required 1 : 2 W : S ratio, is an effective single source precursor for the electro-deposition of WS 2 thin films from a CH 2 Cl 2 electrolyte, avoiding the need for a proton source.