Photoinduced Separation of Strongly Interacting 2-D Layered TiS 2 Nanodiscs in Solution

Colloidal 2-D layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) nanodiscs synthesized with uniform diameter and thickness can readily form the vertically stacked assemblies of particles in solution due to strong interparticle cohesive energy. The interparticle electronic coupling that modifies their optical and electronic properties poses a significant challenge in exploring their unique properties influenced by the anisotropic quantum confinement in different directions taking advantage of the controlled diameter and thickness. Here, we show that the assemblies of 2-D layered TiS 2 nanodiscs are efficiently separated into individual nanodiscs via photoexcitation of the charge carriers by pulsed laser light, enabling the characterization of the properties of noninteracting TiS 2 nanodiscs. Photoinduced separation of the nanodiscs is considered to occur via transient weakening of the interpa…