Effect of ion irradiation on nanoscale TiS₂ systems with suppressed Titania phase

Titanium disulfide (TiS₂), being an important of the transition metal dichalcogenide, (TMDC) family, has drawn numerous interest owing to exhibition of tunable band gap as well as high carrier mobility. In this work, we highlight preparation of TiS₂ nanopowder with minimal TiO₂ content and also demonstrate modified properties upon swift heavy ion irradiation on TiS₂ nanoparticles dispersed PVA films. Different properties of the irradiated samples have been characterized through diffraction, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. As a result of irradiation, due to agglomeration of particles, the grain size is found to increase. We could also observe a red shift after irradiation with increasing fluence, leading to easy flow of electron from valence to conduction band, which shows that conduction of electrons is more in case of irradiated films compared to the pristine one and thus there may be a possibility of using the irradiated samples in various optoelectronic devices. (paper)