MoS2 microtubes:: An electron microscopy study

Recently it was found that instability of thin weakly bonded MoS2 sheets against folding can lead to a growth of hollowed microtubes with several mm lengths, 1-20 mu m diameter and less than 0.1 mu m wall thickness.(1) Bent sheets can directly roll up into the tube or they can produce in their microfolds a turbulent gas how of transported molecules which promotes a tubelike growth mode. These uncommon stable features of inorganic crystals reveal a great similarity to much smaller carbon fullerenes and especially to inorganic (MoS2, WS2) nested fullerenes-nanotubes.(2) Scanning electron microscopic studies of cylindrical microtubes and twisted microribbons are combined with high resolution electron microscopic observations of stacking faults.