Shape-Controllable Gold Nanoparticle–MoS 2 Hybrids Prepared by Tuning Edge-Active Sites and Surface Structures of MoS 2 via Temporally Shaped Femtosecond Pulses

Edge-active site control of MoS 2 is crucial for applications such as chemical catalysis, synthesis of functional composites, and biochemical sensing. This work presents a novel nonthermal method to simultaneously tune surface chemical (edge-active sites) and physical (surface periodic micro/nano structures) properties of MoS 2 using temporally shaped femtosecond pulses, through which shape-controlled gold nanoparticles are in situ and self-assembly grown on MoS 2 surfaces to form Au–MoS 2 hybrids. The edge-active sites with unbound sulfurs of laser-treated MoS 2 drive the reduction of gold nanoparticles, while the surface periodic structures of laser-treated MoS 2 assist the shape-controllable growth of gold nanoparticles. The proposed novel method highlights the broad application potential of MoS 2; for example, these Au–MoS 2 hybrids exhibit tunable and highly sensitive SERS activity with an enhancement factor up to 1.2 × 10 7, indicating the marked potential of MoS 2 in future chemical and biological sensing applications.