Antioxidant Triggered Metallic 1T’ Phase Transformations of Chemically Exfoliated Tungsten Disulfide (WS₂) Nanosheets

Abstract Developing facile methods for inducing phase transformation between metallic and semiconducting 2D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) materials is crucial toward leveraging their use in cutting‐edge energy devices. Herein, 2H‐to‐1T’ phase transformations in chemically exfoliated Tungsten Disulfide (WS₂) nanosheet films, triggered by antioxidants toward highly conductive 2D TMDC electrode materials, are introduced. It is found that antioxidants cause residual LiO_x compounds to reduce to Li metal, subsequently inducing 1T’ phase transformations in layered WS₂ nanosheets, resulting in significantly enhanced conductivity across the overall films. Both thermoelectric devices and supercapacitors are fabricated utilizing the highly conductive 1T’ phase WS₂ nanosheet films as a working electrode, allowing for outstanding performance due to the increased conductivity of the WS₂ nanosheet films. The method constitutes a facile approach toward the use of chemically exfoliated 1T’ TMDC nanosheets for highly efficient energy device applications.