Syntheses and characterization of polymer/TaS2 layered nanocomposites

Polymer/TaS₂ layered nanocomposites have been synthesized using the exfoliation–adsorption technique, using 1T-TaS₂, 2H-TaS₂, and 4Hb-TaS₂ single crystals hosts and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) as guest intercalates. Optimum conditions to synthesize nanocomposites were obtained for each set of TaS₂ polytypes and polymers using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD patterns showed that all nanocomposite materials contain polymer between all individual TaS₂ sheets. Although 1T-, 2H-, and 4Hb-TaS₂ polytypes are well known to show quite different temperature dependences of resistivity, the resistivities of all nanocomposites show similar temperature dependences.