Properties of Tungsten Disulfide (II)

Tungsten disulfide has a molecular formula of WS₂ and a molecular weight of 247.97. Lubricity, conductivity and optical properties of tungsten disulfide make it an important material in mechanical lubrication and other relevant fields.

The following are some properties of tungsten disulfide.

1. Lubricity of tungsten disulfide.

WS₂ molecules are inert. Besides, there are weak van der Waals forces between layers of WS_2. Thus, WS₂ is a good solid lubricant that used widely in aerospace and other fields. As for the advantages of WS₂, it has strong adhesion, a low friction coefficient, a high wear-resisting property and a film-forming property. In addition, it can form a lubricating film during the mechanical lubrication under high temperature, high pressure and other bad working environment, which ensures the stable operation of the machines.

2. Conductivity of tungsten disulfide.

WS₂ is an n-type semiconductor. WS₂ embedding in polymer, especially the conductive polymer, will change from the semiconductor to a metallic conductor, which is caused by the neat arrangement and the regular structure of the polymer. Although there were few studies on WS₂ polymer composites, they can be expected to be materials with high conductivity.

3. Optical properties of tungsten disulfide.

The optical properties of WS₂ are directly related to its band gap. The indirect band gap of WS₂ is about 1.3eV and the direct band gap of WS₂ is about 1.78eV, which match the solar spectrum. WS₂ is resistant to photoerosion. It has a high optical absorption coefficient and the adjustability of photoelectric in the visible region. Because of the optical properties, WS₂ has a broad application prospect in the preparation of efficient solar cells and photocatalysis.

4. Other properties of tungsten disulfide.

WS₂ has excellent lubricating property and good catalytic performance. When used as a coating, ink or plastics, we may find some other good properties of it.

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