Remskar et al. Nanoscale Res Lett 2011, 6:26 http://www.nanoscalereslett.com/content/6/1/26 Page 6 of 6 Figure 4 a Scanning electron micrograph of a MoS2 nanotube between Ti/Au metal electrodes; b Current–voltage characteristics in the dark and under illumination for the MoS2 nanotube at room temperature with and without visible light illumination. observed value in these nanotubes. The metallic conduc- tivity could indicate a high density of defects, which form energy states near the Fermi level and influence also the optical absorbance spectra. Conclusion In conclusion, we have reported an easy and straightfor- ward way of fabricating pure multiwall MoS2 nanotubes using Mo6S4I6 nanowires as the precursor crystals. We synthesized the nanowires from elements in a furnace gradient and proposed the unit cell of the Mo6S4I6 com- pound, which was first reported in 1985. The nanotubes produced by the sulfurization process keep the outer geometry and self-assembly of the precursor nanowires. They are of relatively homogeneous size in diameter and length. The lattice structure is strongly defected causing Raman line broadening, a blue shift in visible light absorption and metallic conductivity at room tempera- ture of this otherwise semiconducting compound. The synthesis, which can be easily scaled up, and peculiar energy level distribution in these MoS2 nanotubes could find application in nanoelectronics and tribology. Author details 1Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 2Institute of Metals and Technology, Lepi Pot 11, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 3Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institut für Ionenstrahlphysik und Materialforschung, D-01314, Dresden, Germany. 4Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. Received: 21 July 2010 Accepted: 16 August 2010 Published: 3 September 2010 References 1. Tenne R: Nat Nanotechnol 2006, 1:103. 2. Remskar M, Mrzel A, Virsek M, Jesih A: Adv Mater 2007, 19:4276. 3. Remskar M, Virsek M, Mrzel A: Apply Phys Lett 2009, 95:133122. 4. Remskar M, Skraba Z, Ballif C, Sanjines R, Levy F: Surf Sci 1999, 433–435:637. 5. Lauritsen J, Kibsgaard J, Helveg S, Topsoe H, Clausen BS, Lægsgaard E, Besenbacher F: Nat Nanotechnol 2007, 2:53. 6. Hinnemann B, Moses PG, Bonde J, Jorgensen KP, Nielsen JH, Horch S, Chorkendorff I, Norskov JK: J Am Chem Soc 2005, 127:5308. 7. Jaramillo TF, Jørgensen KP, Bonde J, Nielsen JH, Horch S, Chorkendorff I: Science 2007, 317:100. 8. Chiritescu C, Cahill DG, Nguyen N, Johnson D, Bodapati A, Keblinski P, Zschack P: Science 2007, 315:351. 9. Chhowalla M, Amaratunga GAJ: Nature 2000, 407:164. 10. El Beqqali O, Zorkani I, Rogemond F, Chermette H, Ben Chaabane R, Gamoudi M: Guiilaud Synth Metals 1997, 90:165. 11. Feldman Y, Wasserman E, Srolovitz DJ, Tenne R: Science 1995, 267:222. 12. Therese HA, Zink N, Kolb U, Tremel W: Solid State Sci 2006, 8:1133. 13. Deepak FL, Margolin A, Wiesel I, Bar-Sadan M, Popovitz-Biro R, Tenne R: Nano 2006, 1:167. 14. Chen J, Li SL, Xu Q, Tanaka K: Chem Commun 2002, 16:1722. 15. Rivera-Munoz EM: J Appl Phys 2007, 102:094302. 16. Lavayen V, Mirabal N, O’Dwyer C, Ana MAS, Benavente E, Torres CMS, Gonzalez G: Appl Surf Sci 2007, 253:5185. 17. Remskar M, Skraba Z, Cleton F, Sanjines R, Levy F: Appl Phys Lett 1996, 69:351. 18. Drobot DV, Starkov VV, Pisarev EA: Russ J Inorg Chem 1985, 30:1668. 19. Perrin C, Sergent M: J Chem Res (S) 1983, 38. 20. Meden A, Kodre A, Padeznik Gomilsek J, Arcon I, Vilfan I, Vrbanic D, Mrzel A, Mihailovic D: Nanotechnology 2005, 16:1578. 21. Sandoval SJ, Yang D, Frindt RF, Irwin JC: Phys Rev B 1991, 44:8. 22. Virsek M, Krause M, Kolitsch A, Mrzel A, Iskra I, Skapin SD, Remskar M: J Phys Chem C 2010, 114:6458. 23. Frey GL, Tenne R, Matthews MJ, Dresselhaus MS, Dresselhaus G: Phys Rev B 1999, 60(4):2883. 24. Coehoorn R, Hass C, Dijkstra J, Flipse CJF: Phys Rev B 1987, 35:6195. 25. Wilcoxon JP, Newcomer PP, Samara GA: J Appl Phys 1997, 81:7934. doi:10.1007/s11671-010-9765-0 Cite this article as: Remskar et al.: The MoS2 Nanotubes with Defect- Controlled Electric Properties. Nanoscale Res Lett 2011 6:26.