Flowerlike WSe₂ and WS₂ microspheres: one-pot synthesis, formation mechanism and application in heavy metal ion sequestration

Flowerlike WSe2 and WS2 microspheres were synthesized by a facile and scalable one-pot solvothermal method. Their formation mechanism followed the reaction between dissolved W(CO)6 and dissolved S or melted Se without complete decomposition of W(CO)6 into tungsten. As novel efficient sorbents, WSe2 and WS2 demonstrated outstanding uptake capacities for Pb(2+) and Hg(2+).