Nanocomposite materials based on chitosan and molybdenum disulfide

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) was lithiated with -butyllithium to obtain LiMoS2. The exfoliation and re-stacking properties of LiMoS2 allowed for the facile intercalation of chitosan into the re-stacked layers of MoS2. A series of nanomaterials were synthesized, and characterized by powder-X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and four-probe electrical conductivity measurements. The chitosan-MoS2 nanomaterial at 1:1 mol ratio displayed an increase in electrical conductivity value by a factor of 100 with respect to the pristine layered structure.