Rapid synthesis of MoS₂–Ag nanocomposites via photoreduction for optical tuning and surface-enhanced Raman scattering applications

Semiconductor–metal nanocomposites have been widely investigated to modify the intrinsic properties of materials used for optoelectronic devices and sensing applications. In this study, a method for rapid synthesis of MoS₂–Ag nanocomposites via laser-assisted photoreduction was proposed. For the photoreduction process, we used AgNO₃ solution as a metal source. Under laser irradiation, Ag ions were easily reduced on MoS₂ by photo-generated electrons from MoS₂. The optical properties of MoS₂–Ag nanocomposites were easily controlled by simple adjustment of the photoreduction time. To investigate the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect of the MoS₂–Ag nanocomposites, the SERS spectra of methylene blue (MB) on MoS₂–Ag nanocomposites were measured, and the nanocomposites were found to enhance the Raman scattering intensity of MB up to ~10⁶. Therefore, the laser-assisted photoreduction method has great potential for rapid synthesis and optical tuning of semiconductor–metal nanocomposites.