Nanoparticles Produced by Laser Ablation of HfS₃ in Liquid Medium: Inorganic Fullerene-Like Structures of Hf₂S

Inorganic fullerene-like structures (IF) of the layered hafnium sulfide, Hf2S, have been synthesized by the laser ablation of HfS3 in tert-butyl disulfide medium. Apart from the Hf2S IFs exhibiting quasi-spherical as well as faceted nested-shell geometries, quasi-spherical nanoparticles of HfS were observed by this means. Whereas Hf2S has anti-NbS2 structure with S layers sandwiched between two Hf layers, HfS has the nonlayered WC-type structure. The nanoparticles of HfS show excess sulfur in the core, and they do not possess closed-shell geometry. The mechanism of formation of these nanoparticles has also been discussed.