Patent ID: 8007756

Claim:
A process for the synthesis of any one of nanotubes of a transition metal dichalcogenide, fullerene-like nanostructures of a transition metal dichalcogenide, and nanotubes of a transition metal dichalcogenide, filled with fullerene-like nanostructures of a transition metal dichalcogenide, the process comprising exposing a quasi one-dimensional material to at least one reagent comprising a chalcogen to chemically transform the quasi one-dimensional material having a diameter less than about one micrometer, the material having a formula M 6 C y H z , 8.2<y+z≦10, where M comprises a transition metal selected from Mo, W, Ta, and Nb, C comprises a chalcogen selected from S, Se, and Te, and H comprises a halogen comprising I.