Systematic study: From worldwide-renowned drink to low-cost solvent for non-organic synthesis of two-dimensional tungsten disulfide

At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the concept of sustainable development impressed the world. This study is supported by the concept of ecological protection and conservation. The easily available plastic bottled Coca-Cola® was innovatively proposed as a low-cost solvent to greenly exfoliate bulk tungsten disulfide (WS₂). First, an overview of two-dimensional (2D) WS₂ was given, summarizing the related reports on its structures and synthesis. Taking into account the yield of 2D flakes, the optimal fabrication environment was figured out. The related characterizations of the cola-synthetic WS₂ were studied. This work opens up a new strategy for the inexpensive and green exfoliation of 2D crystals with a high yield.