Faculty & staff

Prof. Alla Zak, is a Dean of the Faculty of Sciences and Head of the Laboratory for Synthesis and Investigation of Nanomaterials in the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT), Israel. She is also a Scientific Adviser in the Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS), Israel. Alla Zak is involved in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology since 1996, including 6 years of Ph.D. studies (1996-2002) in Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel; 10 years as chief scientist (CSO) in NanoMaterials, Ltd. company (2002-2011) and academic research in HIT from 2012.

Alla Zak became Associate professor at the Faculty of Sciences, HIT, from 2016, and Full professor – from 2022. She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Materials and Interfaces at the Weizmann Institute, Israel, in 2002, and received her M.Sc. in physics (1985) from Kishinev University, Moldova. With M.Sc. degree Alla Zak worked for five years as Technology engineer in the Microelectronics lab of Thin Film Department at the Electrical Device Engineering Institute of Science in Kishinev. Directly prior to her Ph.D. studies at the Weizmann Institute, Alla Zak taught physics at scientific and technical high-schools in Israel. After completing her Ph.D. studies in 2002, Alla Zak joined NanoMaterials, Ltd. for 10 years in the position of Chief scientist, and at 2012 established her laboratory in HIT.

Alla Zak is an inventor of 4 patents and an author of 81 scientific papers.

Our laboratory is focused on synthesis and investigation of layered inorganic 2H nanomaterials, which could be grown as semi-spherical or polyhedral nanoparticles and cylindrical nanotubes (NTs). Recently, we successfully developed the synthesis of WS2 and MoS2 nanotubes in pure phase, scalable fashion and of perfect crystallinity, that was an enigma during more than two decades. High temperature solid-gas (for WS2-NTs) and vapor-gas-solid (for MoS2 NTs) reactions of corresponding oxides with H2/H2S gases were found to be highly challenging, and requires multi-step processes and uniquely designed quartz reactors.

Study of the nanotubes behavior in numerous applications has been demonstrated that rolling of the crystalline layers into cylinders (nanotubes) induces modifications in their crystalline structure and results in unusual mechanical, chemical and electrical properties, which appear not only due to size reduction and quantum confinement, but mainly due to curvature and chirality, inherent to the tubular structure. This layered semiconductor nanomaterials with the closed-cage arrangement of the layers could find various applications such as solar cell and photodetectors, catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), substrate for hydrogen storage, piezoresistive sensors, anodes for LIB/SIBs, fillers for reinforcing polymers and even as memory device for artificial intelligence (AI). 

Currently, we focus on studying the synthetic routes for nanospheres (inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles) and nanotubes of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) with modified properties for advanced applications. By varying tubes’ diameter, number of layers and their chirality, via synthesis modifications, doping and intercalation of INTs, we hope to get nanotubes with tunable band gap energy and carrier concentration, for example. The availability of these novel nanostructures will open numerous vistas for original properties and applications of these materials.
 

1. February 2008, "Industrial Technology for Scaling Up IFLM Synthesis”, "ForeMost” consortium, Israel.
2. September 2008, "Inorganic Fullerene-Like (IF) Nanoparticles and Nanotubes (NT) from 2-D Layered Compounds”, seminar in Kishinev University, Moldova
3. October 2009, "Insight into the Growth Mechanism of WS2 Nanotubes in the Scaled-Up Fluidized Bed Reactor”, TMCN9 (Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Nanoparticles” conference, Cetania, Itali.
4. March 2010, "The Effect of Inorganic Nanoparticles on Polymer properties”, Magnet consortium, Israel.
5. April 2010, "Inorganic Nanotubes and Fullerene-Like Particles from 2D Layered Compounds: State of the Art”, AddNano consorium, Turin, Itali.
6. April 2010, "Recent Progress in the Synthesis and Applications of WS2 Nanotubes”, TMCN10 (Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Nanoparticles” conference, WIS, Israel.
7. June 2010, "Advances in the Tribological Properties of Oils, Metal Coatings and Polymers with IF and INT Nanoparticles‘ additives”, IsraTrib conference ICME10, Israel.
8. November 2010, " Presentation of the Company achievements”, NanoIsrael Conference, Tel-Aviv, Israel. (Award was obtained!)
9. February 2011, "The Effect of Inorganic WS2/MoS2 Fullerene-like Nanoparticles & Nanotubes on Polymer Properties”, for the 6th International Conference - "Nanotechnology for the Plastics & Rubber Industries”, Shenkar College, Israel.
10. Match 2011, "The Effect of WS2 Nanoparticles on Polymers Properties”, the COINAPO consortium (Composites of Inorganic Nanotubes and Polymers, Cost Action MP0902), Sestriere, Italy.
11. June 2011, "Applications of the Inorganic Fullerene-like Nanoparticles (IF) & Nanotubes (INT)”, Israeli Air-Force workshop on Nanotechnology, Herzlia, Israel.
12. June 2011, "Industrial Synthesis of Inorganic WS2 Fullerene-like (IF) Nanoparticles and Inorganic WS2 Nanotubes (INT), and their applications”, seminar in Ben Gurion university, Israel.
13. July 2011, "Inorganic Fullerene-like Nanoparticles (IF) & Nanotubes (INT) for composite applications”, seminar to R&D department of Rafael Advanced Defence System, Ltd., Israel.
14. September 2011, "Industrial Synthesis of Inorganic WS2 Fullerene-like (IF) Nanoparticles and Inorganic WS2 Nanotubes (INT), and their Applications”, seminar in Peking University (Beijing) and in Nankai University (Tianjin), China
15. September 2011, "Large-Scale Synthesis of WS2 Multiwall Nanotubes”, "The Effect of Fullerene-like Tungsten Disulfide and Carbone Nanotubes on the Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Adhesives”, "The Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Epoxy Nanocomposites with WS2 Nanotubes”, posters: for "China Nano 2011” conference, Beijing, China.
16. December 2011, "WS2 Nanotubes Embedded in PMMA Nanofibers as Energy Absorptive Material and other Studies with INT-WS2. New nanotubes, the update”, COINAPO consortium (Composites of Inorganic Nanotubes and Polymers, Cost Action MP0902), Ljubljana, Slovenia.
17. March 2012, "Influence of inorganic WS2 nanoparticles on the tribological properties of epoxy resin”, poster for NanoIsrael 2012 conference, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
18. April 2012, "Tribological Properties of Epoxy Resin Composite with Inorganic WS2 Nanoparticles”, COINAPO consortium (Composites of Inorganic Nanotubes and Polymers, Cost Action MP0902), Prague, Czech Republic.
19. September 2012, 2nd Adriatic School on Nanotechnology, ASON-2, Dubrovnik, Croatia.
20. October 2012, NanoCon12, Pune, India.
21. November 2012, COINAPO, Israel, Workshop meeting, Co-chairperson.
22. E. Goldman, A. Zak, R. Tenne, E. Kartvelishvily, Y. Neuman, A. Palmon, A. Hovav, and D. Aframian, Biocompatibility Examination of Inorganic Nanotubes on A5 Salivary Gland Cells, Oral presentation #83, Helsinki, PER, IADR (2012).
23. February 2013, The 8th International Conference Applications of Nanotechnology for the Plastics Industry, Shenkar college of Engineering, Israel.
24. April 2013, Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring meeting, the symposium "Beyond Graphene and Carbon Nanotubes: 2D Systems from Atomic Layered Materials", San Francisco (USA).
25. April 2013, Energy, Materials and Nanotechnology (EMN) Spring meeting, Orlando, Florida (USA).
26. July 2013, International Workshop LASERION® 2013 on "Microfabrication, nanostructured materials and biotechnology”, Munich, Germany.
27. September 2013, Israel Vacuum Society (IVS), Israel.
28. October 2013, COINAPO consortium (Composites of Inorganic Nanotubes and Polymers, Cost Action MP0902), Crete, Greece.
29. December 2013, Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall meeting, poster, Boston (USA).
30. March 2014, NanoIsrael 14, poster, Israel.
31. April 2014, COMPO 2014, poster, Israel.
32. July 2014, 22st Annual International Conference on Composites or Nano Engineering (ICCE-22), Italy.
33. August 2014, 2nd International Symposium on Energy Challenges and Mechanics (ECM2), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
34. September 2014, MPNS Cost Action MP1306 meeting, Modern Tools for Spectroscopy on Advanced Materials, Scientific Workshop, Management Committee (MC) meeting, Louvain la Neuve, Belgium.
35. October 2014, Israel-Greece Joint Meeting on Nanotechnology and BioNanoscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Member of Organizing Committee, Session Chairman: Nanomaterials 1, Sessions Chairman.
36. October 2014, 4th Annual World Congress of Nanoscience & Technology (NanoS&T-2014), Qingdao, China (could not attend for technical reasons).
37. January 2015, Reshef Tenne 70th Birthday Symposium – Inorganic nanotubes and fullerene-like materials – at the crossroad of solid state chemistry, nanotechnology and industrial applications, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, to take place 13 January 2015,Chair
38. May 2015, "Nano-HIT, Nanotechnology from academy to industry", HIT,Member of Organizing Committee.
39. June 2015, Telluride Science Workshop "Enhanced functionalities in 4- and 5d-containing materials from large spin-orbit coupling", Colorado, USA, to take place 15-19 June 2015.
40. June-July 2015, International Conference on Advances in Functional Materials, June 29 – 3rd July, 2015, at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY, oral presentation.
41. July 2015, Flatlands Beyond Graphene, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, to take place 7-9 July 2015,Member of Organizing Committee.
42. July 2015, M. Naffakh, T. Silverman, A.M. Garcia, D.A. Moreno, C. Marco, G. Ellis, A. Zak, Novel biopolymer composites based on WS2inorganic nanotubes, 20th Int'l. Conf. on Composite Materials (ICCM20) Copenhagen, Denmark, to take place 19-24 July 2015.
43. February 2016, NanoIsrael 2016, 1) Raman scattering from single WS₂ nanotubes embedded within stretched PVDF submicron fibers; 2) Plasma treatment of MWINT-WS₂ for synthesis of single wall nanotubes of WS₂, posters.
44. May 8 2016, 2nd International Symposium Nanotechnology from Academy to Industry (NTAI 2016) – in honor of Prof. Lev Rapoport and Prof. Boris Fainberg, Israel. Member of organizing committee. 
45. June 2016, The International Conference on Modern Materials and Technologies (CIMTEC), Perugia, Italy. Member of International Advisory Board of Symposium F "Graphene and Other Emerging 2D-layered Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties and Potential Applications". Oral presentation (could not attend for health reasons).
46. October 2016, Greece-Israel Joint Meeting on Nanotechnology and BioNanoscience - 2, Heraklion, Greece. “Single wall and multiwall WS2 nanotubes’ synthesis and characterization - the update” - invited talk, two posters presentation, member of Poster Committee.
47. October 2016, 24th International Conference on the Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry (CAARI 2016), Fort Worth, Texas, USA, INT-WS2 Niobium implantation studies, M. Straticiuc, A. Zak, M. Nistor, E. Matei, M. Manea, I. Burducea, F. Gherendi, P. Dinca, oral presentation.
48. March 2017, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “Inorganic nanotubes of MoS2 and WS2: their synthesis, characterization and application- the update” - invited seminar.
49. May 2017, 3rd International conference Nanotechnology from Academy to Industry- NTAI 2017, Holon, Israel. Member of organizing committee.
50. September 2017, 11th Advanced Materials & Processing, Edinburgh, Scotland. “Single wall and multiwall MoS2/WS2 nanotubes’ synthesis and characterization - the update” - keynote presentation.
51. October 2017, Uzbek-Israel Scientific Conference on Contemporary Problems in Mathematics and Physics, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. “Inorganic Nanotubes of MoS2 and WS2: their Synthesis, Properties and Application” - invited presentation.
52. March 2018, Smart Materials 2018, Osaka, Japan. “Inorganic Nanotubes (INT) of MoS2 and WS2: their Synthesis, Properties and Applications” - oral presentation.
53. May 2018, 4th International conference on Nanotechnology from Academy to Industry 2018, NTAI 2018, Holon, Israel. Member of organizing committee.
54. June 2018, EMN-Energy materials nanotechnology meeting on nanowires, Prague, Czech Republic. “ Synthesis, properties and applications of the inorganic nanotubes of WS2 and MoS2” - invited talk.
55. September 2018, International Functional Nanomaterials and Nanodevice Conference 2018, Vienna, Austria. "Single wall and multiwall inorganic nanotubes (INT) of WS2 & MoS2, their synthesis, properties and applications" - invited talk.
56. October 2018, Nano.IL.2018, Israel. “Cathodoluminescence studies of single to penta-wall WS2 nanotubes obtained through plasma treatment of WS2 multiwall nanotubes” - poster presentation.
57. October 2018, NANOCON018 Nanotechnology-Applications, Advances and Innovations, India. "From multiwall to single wall inorganic nanotubes of WS2 & MoS2: their synthesis by solid-gas reaction; their properties by Raman scattering under tensile and pressure; their applications for nanocomposites, photovoltaic effect and hydrogen storage" - keynote talk.

58. January 2019, 2D Materials Winter School, Weizmann Institute of Science. “2D transition metal dichalcogenides - Synthesis and energy conversion applications” - invited talk.

59. June 2019, NANO-M&D 2019, University of Salerno, Italy. “Advances in properties and synthesis of MoS2 and WS2 nanotubes” - invited talk.

60. September 2019, Flatlands beyond Graphene, Toulouse, France. “An update on properties and synthesis of MoS2 and WS2 nanotubes” - invited talk.

61. September 2019, Nanomat 2019, Prague. Member of Scientific/Organizing Committee. “Advance in properties study and synthesis approaches of MoS2 and WS2 inorganic nanotubes” - invited talk.

62. November 2019, First Israel-Italy Workshop on 2D Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Israel. “Super WS2 and MoS2 nanotubes – From strengthening polymers to harvesting energy” - invited talk. 

63. January 2020, Holon Physics Seminar, HIT – Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel. “Super WS2 and MoS2 nanotubes: from strengthening polymers to harvesting energy” - invited lecture.

64. September 2020, CIMTEC 2020 – 9th Forum on New Materials, Montecatini Terme, Italy. “Synthetic route toward pure phase of WS2 and MoS2 inorganic nanotubes (INT) and their unusual properties” – invited talk, Member of International Advisory Board.

65. October 2020, 5th International Conference NANOCON 2020, Pune, India. Member of International Advisory Committee, keynote speaker.

66. September 2021, 2021 Annual Nanotechnology Conference, Bratislava, Slovakia, Member of Organizing and Scientific Committee, invited talk.

1. A. Zak, Y. Feldman, V. Alperovich, R. Rozentsveig and R. Tenne, Growth Mechanism of MoS2 Fullerene-Like Nanoparticles by Gas-Phase Synthesis, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 122, 11108-11116 (2000).
2. 2.Y. Feldman, A. Zak, R. Popovitz-Biro and R. Tenne, New Reactor for Production of Tungsten Disulfide Hollow Onion-Like (inorganic fullerene-Like) Nanoparticles, Solid State Sci. 2, 663-672 (2000).
3. L. Rapoport, M. Lvovsky, I. Lapsker, W. Leshinsky, Yu Volovik, Y. Feldman, A. Zak and R. Tenne, Slow Release of Fullerene-Like WS2 Nanoparticles as a Superior Solid Lubrication Mechanism in Composite Matrices, Adv. Eng. Materials 3, 71-75 (2001).
4. A. Zak, Y. Feldman, V. Lyakhovitskaya, G. Leitus, R. Popovitz-Biro, E. Wachtel, H. Cohen, S. Reich and R. Tenne, Alkali Metal Intercalated Fullerene-Like MS2 (M=W,Mo) Nanoparticles and their Properties, J. Am Chem. Soc. 124, 4747-4758 (2002).
5. Y. Feldman, A. Zak, R. Tenne and H. Cohen, Evidence for Dry De-intercalation in Layered Compounds upon Controlled Surface Charging in X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, J. Vac. Sci. Tech. A. 21, 1752-1757 (2003).
6. S. Brown, J.L. Musfeldt, I. Mihut, J. B. Betts, A. Migliori, A. Zak and R. Tenne, Bulk vs Nanoscale WS2: Finite Size Effects and Solid-State Lubrication, NanoLett. 7, 2365-2369 (2007).
7. F. Kopnov, Y. Feldman, R. Popovitz-Biro, A. Vilan, H. Cohen, A. Zak and R. Tenne, Intercalation of Alkali Metal in WS2 Nanoparticles, Revisited, Chem. Mater. 20, 4099-4105 (2008).
8. B. Spath, F. Kopnov, H. Cohen, A. Zak, A. Moshkovich, L. Rapoport, W. Jagermann and R. Tenne, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Tribology Studies of Annealed Fullerene-Like WS2 Nanoparticles, Phys. Stat. Solid. B 245, 1779-1784 (2008).
9. J. Goering, U. Burghaus, B.W. Arey, O. Eidelman, A. Zak and R. Tenne, Reactive and Non-reactive Interactions of Thiophene with WS2 Fullerene-Like Nanoparticles: An Ultra-high Vacuum Surface Chemistry Study, Catal. Lett. 125, 236-242 (2008).
10. A. Zak, L. Sallacan-Ecker, A. Margolin, M. Genut and R. Tenne, Insight into the Growth Mechanism of WS2 Nanotubes in the Scaled-Up Fluidized-Bed Reactor, NANO 4, 91-98 (2009).
11. M. Komarneni, A. Sand, P. Nevin, A. Zak and U. Burghaus, Absorption and Reaction Kinetics of Small Organic Molecules on WS2 Nanotubes: An Ultra-High Vacuum Study, Chem. Phys. Lett. 479, 109-112 (2009).
12. R. Rosentsveig, A. Gorodnev, N. Feuerstein, H. Friedman, A. Zak, N.Fleischer, J. Tannous, F. Dassenoy and R. Tenne, Fullerene-Like MoS2 Nanoparticles and Their Tribological Behavior, Tribol. Lett. 36, 175-182 (2009).
13. A. Zak, N. Fleischer, M. Zarbuv, L. Drangai and M. Genut, Nano-Materials for Gear Lubrication Solutions, Gear Solutions Magazine, 30-36 (2009), http://www.gearsolutions.com/media//uploads/assets//PDF/ Articles/Dec_09/1209_Nano.pdf.
14. S.Y. Hong, R. Kreizman, A. Zak, J. Sloan, A.N. Enyashin, B.G. Davis, G. Seifert, M.L.H. Green and R. Tenne, One- & Two-Dimensional Inorganic Crystals using WS2 Nanotubes as Template, Special Issue of Eur. J. Inorg. Chem., Ed. C.N.R. Rao 27, 4233-4243 (2010).
15. U. Burghaus, A. Zak and R. Rosentsveig, Site-Specific Surface Chemistry of Nanotubes, Isr. J. Chem. 50, 449–452 (2010).
16. A. Zak, L. Sallacan-Ecker, A. Margolin, Y. Feldman, R. Popovitz-Biro, A. Albu-Yaron, M. Genut and R. Tenne, Scaling-Up of the WS2 Nanotubes Synthesis, Fullerene, Nanotubes, Carbon Nanostruct. 19, 18-26 (2011).
17. E. Zohar, S. Baruch, M. Shneider, H. Dodiu, S. Kenig, D.H. Wagner, A. Zak, A. Moshkovith, L. Rapoport and R. Tenne, The Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Epoxy Nanocomposites with WS2 Nanotubes, Sensors & Transducers Journal 12, 53-65 (2011).
18. A. Zak, L. Sallacan Ecker, N. Fleischer and R. Tenne, Large-Scale Synthesis of WS2 Multiwall Nanotubes and their Dispersion, an Update, Sensors & Transducers Journal 12, 1-10 (2011).
19. C. S. Reddy, A. Zak and E. Zussman, WS2 Nanotubes Embedded in PMMA Nanofibers as Energy Absorptive Material, J. Mater. Chem. 21, 16086-16093 (2011).
20. M. Krause, A. Mucklich, A. Zak, G. Seifert and S. Gemming, High resolution TEM study of WS2 nanotubes, Phys. Status Solidi B 248, 2716-2719 (2011).
21. R. Kreizman, O. Schwartz, Z. Deutsch, A. Zak, R. Popovitz-Biro, R. Tenne and D. Oron, Semiconductor Quantum Dot - Inorganic Nanotube Hybrids and Their Optical Properties, Phys.Chem.Chem.Phys. 14, 4271-4275 (2012).
22. C. Zhang, S. Wang, L. Yang, Y. Liu, T. Xu, Z. Ning, A. Zak, Z. Zhang, R. Tenne and Q. Chen, High-Performance Photodetectors for Visible and Near-Infrared Lights Based on Individual WS2 Nanotubes, Appl. Phys. Lett. 100, 243101 (2012).
23. Y. Tsverin, A. Voldman, T. Livneh, R. Rosentsveig, A. Zak, I. Pinkas and R. Tenne, Photocatalysis with Hybrid Co Coated WS2 Nanotubes, Nanomater. & Energy 2, 27-36 (2013).
24. M. R. Komarneni, Z. Yu, U. Burghaus, Y. Tsverin, A. Zak, Y. Feldman, R. Tenne, Characterization of Ni Coated WS2 Nanotubes for Hydrodesulfurization Catalysis, Isr. J. Chem. 52, 1053-1062 (2012).
25. M. Staiger, C. Thomsen, G. Radovsky , H. Telg, P. Rafailov, K. Gartsman, A. Zak, Excitonic Resonance in WS2 Nanotubes, Phys. Rev. B 86, 165423 (2012).
26. C. Zhang, Z. Ning, Y. Liu, T. Xu, Y. Guo, A. Zak, Z. Zhang, S. Wang, R. Tenne, Q. Chen, Electrical Transport Properties of Individual WS2 Nanotubes and their Dependence on Water and Oxygen Absorption, Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 113112 (2012).
27. M. Shneider, L. Rapoport, A. Moshkovich, H. Dodiuk, S. Kenig, R. Tenne and A. Zak, The effect of inorganic fullerene-like nanoparticles on the tribological properties of epoxy matrix, Phys. Status Solidi A, 210, 2298–2306 (2013).
28. D.-M. Tang, X. Wei, M.-S. Wang, N. Kawamoto, Y. Bando, C. Zhi, M. Mitome, A. Zak, R. Tenne and D. Golberg, Revealing the Anomalous Tensile Properties of WS2 Nanotubes by in situ Transmission Electron Microscopy, Nano Lett. 13, 1034−1040 (2013).
29. R. Tenne, R. Rosentsveig and A. Zak, Inorganic Nanotubes and Fullerene-Like Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Mechanical-Properties and Applications, Phys. Status Solidi A, 210, 2253–2258 (2013).
30. D. Rajh, S. Shelestiuk, A. Mertelj, A. Mrzel, P. Umek, S. Irusta, A. Zak and I. Drevenšek-Olenik, Effect of Inorganic ID Nanoparticles on Electrooptic Properties of 5CB Liquid Crystal, DOI:10.1002/pssa.201329363, in press.
31. C. L. Choi, J. Feng, Y. Li, Alla Zak, R.Tenne and H. Dai, WS2 Nanoflakes from Nanotubes for Electrocatalysis, Nano Research, NARE-D-13-00814R1, in press.
32. G. Viskadouros, A. Zak, M. Stylianakis, E. Kymakis, R. Tenne, E. Stratakis, Enhanced Field Emission of WS2 Nanotubes, Small 10, 2398–2403 (2014).
33. A. Laikhtman, S. Michaelson, A. Hoffman, T. K. Kim, H. R. Moon and A. Zak, Using Hydrogen Activated by Microwave Plasma vs. Molecular Hydrogen for Hydrogen Storage in Tungsten Sulfide Inorganic Nanotubes, Int'l. J. of Hydrogen Energy 39, 9837-9841 (2014).
34. V. Brüser, R. Popovitz-Biro, A. Albu-Yaron, T. Lorenz, G. Seifert, R. Tenne and A. Zak, Single- to Triple-Wall WS2 Nanotubes Obtained by High Power Plasma Ablation of WS2 Multiwall Nanotubes, Inorganics 2, 177-190 (2014).
35. M. Naffakh, C. Marco, G. Ellis, S. R. Cohen, A. Laikhtman, L. Rapoport, Alla Zak, Novel poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) nanocomposites containing WS2 inorganic nanotubes with improved thermal, mechanical and tribological properties, Materials Chemistry and Physics 147, 273-284 (2014).
36. E. Goldman, A. Zak, R. Tenne, E. Kartvelishvily, Y. Neumann, A. Palmon, A.H. Hovav, D. J Aframian, Biocompatibility of Tungsten Disulfide Inorganic Nanotubes on A5 Salivary Gland Cell Line, Tissue engineering journal, October 2014, doi:10.1089/ten.tea.2014.0163, in press.
37. K. Vasu, S.S.R.K.C. Yamijala, A. Zak, K. Gopalakrishnan, S.K. Pati, C.N.R. Rao, Clean WS₂ and MoS₂ Nanoribbons Generated by Laser-Induced Unzipping of the Nanotubes, Small 11, 3916-3920 (2015).
38. B. Seo, H. Y. Jeong, S. Y. Hong, A. Zak, and S. H. Joo, Impact of a Conductive Oxide Core in Tungsten Sulfide-Based Nanostructures on the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction, Chem. Commun. 51, 8334-8337 (2015).
39. A. Sedova, G. Bar, O. Goldbart, R. Ron, B. Achrai, I. Kaplan-Ashiri, V. Brumfeld, A. Zak, R. Gvishi, D.H. Wagner, R. Tenne, Reinforcing Silica Aerogels with Tungsten Disulfide Nanotubes, The J. of Supercritical Fluids 106, 9-15 (2015).
40. K. R. O'Neal, J. G. Cherian, A. Zak, R. Tenne, Z. Liu, and J. L. Musfeldt, High Pressure Vibrational Properties of WS₂ Nanotubes, Nano Lett. 16, 993−999 (2016).
41. V.K. Ksenevich, N.I. Gorbachuk, Ho Viet, M.V. Shuba, P.P. Kuzhir, S.A. Maksimenko, A.G. Paddubskaya, G. Valusis, A.D.Wieck, A. Zak, R. Tenne, Electrical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes/WS₂ Nanotubes (Nanoparticles) Hybrid Films, Nanosystems: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics 7(1), 37-43 (2016).
42. F. Wang, I. Kinloch, D. Wolverson, T. Reshef, A., Zak, E. O'Connell, U. Bangert, R. Young, Strain-induced phonon shifts in tungsten disulfide nanoplatelets and nanotubes, 2D Materials 4, 015007 (2016).
43. F. Qin, W. Shi, T. Ideue, M. Yoshida, A. Zak, R. Tenne, T. Kikitsu, D. Inoue, D. Hashizume, and Y. Iwasa, Unidirectional superconductivity in chiral nanotube, Nature Communications, 8, 2017 [doi:10.1038/ncomms14465, published online 16 February 2017]
44. A. Laikhtman, G. Makrinich, M. Sezen, M. Mercan Yildizhan, J. I. Martinez, D. Dinescu, M. Prodana, M. Enachescu, J. A. Alonso and A. Zak, Hydrogen Chemical Configuration and Thermal Stability in Hydrogen Plasma Exposed Tungsten Disulfide Nanoparticles, J. Phys. Chem. C 121, 11747−11756 (2017).
45. J. Macutkevic, J. Belovickis, G. Otorgust, H. Dodiuk, Sh. Kenig, V. Samulionis, J. Banys, A. Zak, Broadband dielectric and ultrasonic properties of WS2 nanotubes/polyurethane composites, Polymer Composites December, pub. online,[DOI 10.1002/PC.24554] (2017).
46. O. Grinberg, S. Deng, E. Zussman, T. Livneh, and A. Zak, Raman scattering from single WS2 nanotubes in stretched PVDF electrospun fibers, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 19, 18443—18451 (2017).
47. S-J Hunag, W-Y Peng, B. Visic, A. Zak, Al alloy metal matrix composites reinforced by WS2 inorganic nanomaterials, Materials Science & Engineering A 709, 290–300, (2018).
48. A. Yu. Polyakov, A. Zak, R. Tenne, E. A. Goodilin, K. A. Solntsev, "Nanocomposites based on tubular and onion nanostructures of molybdenum and tungsten disulfides: inorganic design, functional properties and application", RUSS CHEM REV 87 (3), 251–271 (2018).
49. E. Macchia, A. Zak, R. A. Picca, K. Manoli, C. D. Franco, N. Cioffi, G. Scamarcio, R. Tenne and L. Torsi, Improved Performance p-type Polymer (P3HT) / n-type Nanotubes (WS2) Electrolyte Gated Thin-Film Transistor, MRS Advances (Biomaterials and Soft Materials), 3(27), 2018 (1525-1533).
50. Y.J. Zhang, M. Onga, F. Qin, W. Shi, A. Zak, R. Tenne, J. Smet, Y. Iwasa, Optoelectronic responce of WS2 tubular p-n junction, 2D Materials 5(3), 035002 (2018).
51. J. I. Martínez, A. Laikhtman, H. R. Moon, A. Zak and J. A. Alonso, Modelling of adsorption and intercalation of hydrogen on/into tungsten disulphide multilayers and multiwall nanotubes, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 20, 12061 – 12074 (2018).

52. F. Qin, T. Ideue, W. Shi, X-X Zhang, M. Yoshida, A. Zak, R. Tenne, T. Kikitsu, D. Inoue, 
    D. Hashizume, Y. Iwasa, Diameter-dependent superconductivity in individual WS2 nanotubes, Nano Letters, 18(11), 2018 (6789-6794). 

53. M. Kolíbal, K. Bukvišová, L. Kachtík, A. Zak, L. Novák, T. Šikola, Formation of tungsten oxide nanowires by electron-beam-enhanced oxidation of WS2 nanotubes and platelets, The J. of Physical Chemistry C, 123, March 2019 (9552-9559).

54. Y.J. Zhang, T. Ideue, M. Onga, F. Qin, R. Suzuki, A. Zak, R. Tenne, J.H. Smet, Y. Iwasa, Letter: Enhanced intrinsic photovoltaic effect in tungsten disulphide nanotubes, Nature, 570, June 2019 (349-363).

55. D.M. Simić, D.B. Stojanović, M. Dimić, K. Mišković, M. Marjanović, Z. Burzić, P.S. Uskoković, A. Zak, R. Tenne, Impact resistant hybrid composites reinforced with inorganic nanoparticles and nanotubes of WS2, Composites Part B, 176, July 2019 (107222). 

56. P. Bertasius, M. Shneider, J. Macutkevic, V. Samulionis, J. Banys, A. Zak, Dielectric properties of epoxy-matrix composites with tungsten disulfide nanotubes, J. of Nanomaterials, Special Issue: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications of Polymer Nanocomposites, Volume August 2019, Article ID 5761439.

57. S.S. Sinha, A. Zak, R. Rosentsveig, J. Pinkas, R. Tenne, L. Yadgarov, Size-dependent control of exciton-polariton interactions in WS2 nanotubes, Small, 16(4), December 2019 (1904390-1–1904390-10).

58. C. Pallellappa, S. Ghosh, A. Idelevich, L. Rovinsky, T. Livneh, A. Zak, Solving the "MoS2 nanotubes" synthetic enigma and elucidating the route for their catalyst-free and scalable production, ACS Nano, 14(3), 2020 (3004-3016).

59. N.V. Kamanina, Yu. A. Zubtsova. A.S. Toikka, S.V. Likhomanova, A. Zak, R. Tenne, Temporal characteristics of liquid crystal cell with WS2 nanoparticles: Mesophase sensitization and relief features Liquid Crystals and Their Application (Russian Journal), 20(1), 2020 (34-40).

60. A. Grillo, M. Passacantando, A. Zak, A. Pelella, A. Di Bartolomeo, WS2 nanotubes: Electrical conduction and field emission under electron irradiation and mechanical stress, Small, 2020 (2002881- 2002889).

61. S. Ghosh, V. Brüser, I. Kaplan-Ashiri, R. Popovitz-Biro, S. Peglow, J.I. Martínez, J.A. Alonso, A. Zak, Cathodoluminescence in single and multiwall WS2 nanotubes: Evidence from quantum confinement and strain effect, Applied Physics Reviews, 7(4), 2020 (041401).

62. N.V. Kamanina, Yu. A. Zubtcova, P.V. Kuzhakov, A. Zak, R. Tenne
    Correlations between spectral, time and orientation parameters of liquid crystal cells with WS2 nanoparticles
    Liquid Crystals and Their Application (Russian Journal), 20(3), 2020 (41-48)

63. H. Shalom, T. Bendikov, Y. Feldman, N. Lachman, A. Zak, R. Tenne
    Chemical control of the surface of WS2 nanoparticles
    Chemical Physics Letters, 761, December 2020 (138052)

64. A.K. Sonker, S. Roy, H.D. Wagner, A. Zak, X.M. Sui, R. Bajpai
    Synergistic effect of crosslinking and dual reinforcement on the thermal and mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol
    Polymer Composites, December 2020 (1-10) 
    https://doi.org/10.1002/pc.25894

65. D. Binwal, K. Pramoda, A. Zak, M. Kaur, C. Pallellappa, C.N.R. Rao
    Nanocomposites of 1D MoS2 with polymer-functionalized nanotubes of carbon and borocarbonitride, and their HER activity ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.0c02874

66. S.S. Sinha, L. Yadgarov, S.B. Aliev, Y. Feldman, I. Pinkas, C. Pallellappa, S. Ghosh, A. Idelevich, A. Zak, R. Tenne
    MoS2 and WS2 nanotubes: Synthesis, structural elucidation and optical characterization; 
    J. Phys. Chem. C 2021, 125, 11, 6324–6340

67. S. Ghosh, G. Otorgust, A. Idelevich, O. Regev, I. Lapsker, D.Y. Lewitus, A. Zak 
    Reinforcement of poly (methyl methacrylate) by WS2 nanotubes towards antiballistic applications;
    Composites Science and Technology, 207, 3 May 2021 (108736)

68. L. Rocher, A.S. Ylitalo, T. Di Luccio, R. Miscioscia, G. De Filippo, G. Pandolfi, F. Villani, A. Zak, G.H. Menary, A.B. Lennon, J.A. Kornfield    
    Interaction of poly L-Lactide and tungsten disulfide nanotubes studied by in situ X-ray scattering during expansion of PLLA/WS2NT nanocomposite tubes    
    Polymers, 13, 27 May 2021 (1764-1—1764-11)

69. H. Xia, X. Chen, ,S. Luo, F. Qin, A. Idelevich, S. Ghosh, T. Ideue, Y. Iwasa, A. Zak, R. Tenne, Z. Chen, W-T Liu, S. Wu
    Probing the chiral domains and excitonic states in individual WS2 tubes by second harmonic generation 
    Nano Letters, 11 June 2021

70. O. Golan, H. Shalom, I. Kaplan-Ashiri, S.R. Cohen, Y. Feldman, I. Pinkas, R.O. Almog, A. Zak, R. Tenne
    Poly(L-lactic acid) reinforced with hydroxyapatite and tungsten disulfide nanotubes;    
    Polymers, 13, 8 November 2021 (3851)

71. N. Kamanina, A. Toikka, Y Barnash, A. Zak, R. Tenne
    Influence of surface relief on orientation of Nematic liquid crystals: Polyimide doped with WS2 nanotubes Crystals, 12(3), March 2022 (391); 

72. L. Yue, D. Xu, Z. Wei, T. Zhao, T. Lin, R. Tenne, A. Zak, Q. Li, B. Liu
    Size and shape’s effects on the high-pressure behavior of WS2 nanomaterials 
    Materials, 15(8), April 2022 (2838), Part of the special issue: Advances in Structural Phase Transition and Physical Properties of Nanomaterials under High Pressure

73. E. Magee, F. Tang, E. Ozdemir, M. Walker, T. Di Luccio, J.A. Kornfield, A. Zak, R. Tenne, T. McNally
    WS2 nanotubes as a 1D functional filler for melt mixing with poly(lactic acid): Implications for 
    composites manufacture; ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2022, 5, 6385−6397

74. S. Wei, M. Serra, S. Mourdikoudis, H. Zou, B. Wu, L. Děkanovsky, J. Sturala, J. Luxa, R. Tenne, A. Zak, Z. Sofer
    The improved electrochemical performance of WS2 nanotubes nanocomposites for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries
    ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2022, 14, 46386−46400

75. Y. Sun, Z. Xu, S. Xu, Z. Qi, Y. Niu, M. Bai, H. Htet, R. Tenne, A. Zak, Y. Guo
    Mesoscopic sliding ferroelectricity enabled photovoltaic random access memory for matter-level artificial vision system 
    Nature Communication, 13, Article number: 5391 (2022) 

76. M.B. Sreedhara, S.S. Sinha, A. Zak, L. Yadgarov, R. Tenne
    Review: Nanotubes and fullerene-like nanoparticles from layered transition metal dichalcogenides: Why do they form and what is their significance?
    J. of Inorganic and General Chemistry 648(15), 2022 (e202200128-1–e202200128-10)
    https://doi.org/10.1002/zaac.202200128

77. S. Dey, K. Manjunath, A. Zak, G. Singh
    WS2 nanotube-embedded SiOC fibermat electrode for sodium-ion batteries
     ACS Omega, 8, 2023 (10126-10138)

78. E. Magee, F. Tang, M. Walker, A. Zak, R. Tenne, T. McNally
    Silane functionalization of WS2 nanotubes for interaction with poly(lactic acid)
    Nanoscale, 15, 2023 (7577-7590)

79. Y. Niu, L. Li, Z. Qi, H.H. Aung, X. Han, R. Tenne, Y. Yao, A. Zak, Y. Guo
    OD van der Waals interfacial ferroelectricity
    Nature Communications, 14, 2023 (5578)
    WoS: Q1, IF: 17.0 (2022)
    https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41045-8
    Research highlights in Nature Electronics (IF: 34.4), Vol.6, November 2023 (p.793) on this paper

80. P.N. Immanuel, S-J Hiang, P. Taank, A. Goldreich, J. Prilusky, A. Byregowda, R. Carmieli, 
    H. Shalom, A. Leybovich, A. Zak, N. Aggarwal, K.V. Adarsh, L. Yadgarov
    Enhanced photocatalytic activity of Cs4PbBr6/WS2 hybrid nanocomposite
    Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research, 5(2), 2023 (2300193-1–2300193-11)
    WoS: Q2 (JCI), IF: 5.8 (2022)

81. A. Dutta, O. Breuer, M. Krishnappa, R. Minnes, A. Zak, A. Borenstein
    1D transition-metal dichalcogenides/carbon core-shell composites for the hydrogen evolution reaction
    J. of Materials Chemistry A, 11(4), 2023 (21806-21816)
    WoS: Q1, IF: 11.6 (2022)

82. E. Magee, F. Xie, S. Farris, A. Dsouza, C. Constantinidou, A. Zak, R. Tenne, T. McNally
    Polyelectrolyte complexation of Chitosan and WS2 nanotubes
    Advanced Materials Interfaces, 11(6), 2023 (2300501-1–2300501-15)
    WoS: Q2, IF: 5.7 (2022)

83. J.I. Martinez, A. Laikhtman, A. Zak, M. Sezen, J.A. Alonso
    Implantation of Gallium into layered WS2 nanostructures facilitated by hydrogenation
    Small, first published 3 March 2024 (2312235-1–2312235-10)
    WoS: Q1, IF: 13.2 (2022)
    https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202312235

84. S. Dey, A. Roy, S.B. Mujib, M. Krishnappa, A. Zak, G. Singh
    Addressing irreversibility and structural distortion in WS2 inorganic fullerene-like nanoparticles: 
    Effects of voltage cut-off experiments in beyond Li+-ion storage applications
    ACS Omega, March 2024
    WoS: Q2, IF: 4.0 (2022) 

85. V. Kundrát, L. Novák, K. Bukvišová, J. Zálešák, E. Kolíbalová, R. Rosentsveig, M.B. Sreedhara, H. Shalom, L. Yadgarov, A. Zak, M. Kolíbal and R. Tenne
    Mechanism of WS2 Nanotube Formation Revealed by in Situ/ex Situ Imaging.
    ACS Nano, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c01150

1. S. Kadam, M. Krishnappa, S. Ghosh, M.B. Sreedhara, A. Neyman, A. Upcher, E. Nativ-Roth, L. Houben, A. Zak, A. Enyashin, R. Bar-Ziv, M. Bar Sadan
   Nanotubes and other nanostructures of VS2, WS2 and MoS2: Structural effects on the hydrogen evolution reaction J. of the American Chemical Society December 2023. WoS: Q1, IF: 15.1 (2022)

1. M. Genut, N. A. Fleischer, A. Zak, L. Rapoport and R. Tenne, Fullerenes Fight Friction, Giant Inorganic Molecules Give Exceptional Performance as Dry Lubricants, ECJ, Euro. Coatings Conf., "Smart Coatings V”, Berlin/Germany (2006).
2. F. Kopnov, R. Tenne, B. Späth, W. Jägermann, H. Cohen, Y. Feldman, A. Zak, A. Moshkovith and L. Rapoport, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Tribology Studies of Annealed Fullerene-Like Nanoparticles, in the Proc. of NATO Advanced Study Institute, Functionalized Nanoscale Materials, Devices, and Systems, Sinaia, Romania (2007).
3. A. Zak, L. Sallacan-Ecker, A. Margolin, M. Genut, R. Tenne, Large Scale Synthesis of WS­₂­ Nanotubes as Building Block for New Nanocomposites, Proc. 6th Int'l. Conf. on Condition Monitoring and Machinery Failure Prevention Technologies 2009, Dublin, Ireland (2009)
4. R. Rosentsveig, A. Gorodnev, N. Feuerstein, H. Friedman, A. Zak, N. Fleischer, J. Tannous, F. Dassenoy and R. Tenne, Fullerene-Like MoS₂ Nanoparticles and Their Tribological Behavior, Proc. Vien Nano09, Vienna (2009).
5. A. Zak, L. Sallacan-Ecker, A. Margolin, Y. Feldman, R. Popovitz-Biro, A. Albu-Yaron, M. Genut and R. Tenne, Scaling-Up of the WS₂ Nanotubes Synthesis, IWFAC 2009, 9th Biennial International Workshop Fullerenes and Atomic Clusters, St. Petersburg (2009).
6. A. Zak, R. Tenne, L. Rapoport, H. Dodiuk, E. Zussman, Composites of different polymers with WS₂ nanoparticles and nanotubes, The 22nd Annual Int'l. Conf. on Composites/Nano Engineering (ICCE-22), Malta, 13-19 July 2014.
7. A. Zak, A. Hoffman, H.R. Moon, A. Laikhtman, Using hydrogen activated by microwave plasma vs. molecular hydrogen for hydrogen storage in tungsten disulfide inorganic nanotubes, 2nd Int'l. Symp. on Energy Challenges and Mechanics (ISECM), Aberdeen, Scotland, 19-21 August 2014.
8. A. Laikhtman, G. Makrinich, A. Fruchtman, A. Zak, T.K. Kim, H.R. Moon, M. Enachescu, M. Sezen, Advanced spectroscopy methods for characterization of tungsten disulfide nanoparticles as a medium for hydrogen storage. Collaboration in the framework of the Cost European Cooperation Action, Physics, Chemistry and Applications of Nanostructures, Proc. of Int'l. Conf. Nanomeeting – 2015, Minsk, Belarus, 26-29 May 2015
9. V.K. Ksenevich, N.I. Gorbachuk, Ho Viet, A. Paddubskaya, A.D. Wieck, A. Zak, Impedance characterization of SWCNT/WS₂-NT hybrid films, Physics, Chemistry and Applications of Nanostructures, Proc. of Int'l. Conf. Nanomeeting – 2015, Minsk, Belarus, 26-29 May 2015 (196-199).
10. M. Naffakh, T. Silverman, A.M. Garcia, D.A. Moreno, C. Marco, G. Ellis, A. Zak, Novel biopolymer composites based on WS₂ inorganic nanotubes, Proc. 20th Int'l. Conf. on Composite Materials (ICCM20), Copenhagen, Denmark, 19-24 (2015).

1. R. Tenne, Y. Feldman, A. Zak, R. Rosentsveig, Inorganic Fullerene-Like Tungsten Disulfide Hollow Nanoparticles and Nanotubes (Reactors for Production of Inorganic Fullerene-Like WS2 Hollow Nanoparticles and Nanotubes), 6.3.00 IL 134891 (6.3.00); PCT WO 01/66462 A2 (13.9.01); Isr. Patent Appl. No. 151094; PCT/IL01/00211; Chinese Pt. No. ZL 01806119.2 (13.4.05); European patent EP1263682B1 granted (3.1.07); US approved (2.12.08).
2. R. Tenne, A. Zak, Y. Feldman, R. Rosentsveig, Method and Apparatus for Producing Inorganic Fullerene-Like Nanoparticles,. Euro. Patent No. 1 334 063 (16.4.05); US patent No. 7,018,606 B2 28.3.06; Allowed Isr. Patent Appl. 155270 (27.1.06); Japanese patent No. 537925/02 (18.8.08); US Patent No. 7,524,481 being Continuation of US 7,018,606 (allowed 28.1.09).