**2. Results and Discussion**

#### *2.1. Sample Characteristics before Treatment*

The IF-WS2 particulates utilized for this study were analyzed by diverse techniques before treatment. TEM analysis showed that the IF nanostructures presented the typical hollow cores and the particles exhibit polyhedral shapes, as seen in Figure 1. The value for the lattice spacing observed varied depending on where the measurement was performed; the faces of the polyhedrons presented an average value of 0.62 nm, while the vertices had an average separation of 0.63 nm. Thus, when the IF particulates do not have a perfect spherical shape the lattice distance seem not to be uniform. Observation by SEM determined that the particle size distribution was between 30 and 420 nm, with an average diameter of 143 nm and only a few particles of more than 500 nm. BET surface area of the sample was determined to be 35 m2 /g.

**Figure 1.** TEM image of an IF-WS2 particle before treatment.
