Large-Scale Synthesis of a Uniform Film of Bilayer MoS2 on Graphene for 2D Heterostructure Phototransistors

Interface-Enhanced and Self-Guided Growth of 2D Interlayer Heterostructure Wafers with Vertically Aligned Van Der Waals Layers

2D heterostructures have garnered significant interest in the scientific community owing to their exceptional carrier transport properties and tunable band alignment. The fabrication of these heterostructures on a wafer scale is crucial for advancing industrial applications but remains particularly challenging for metals with low sulfidation activity, such as Hf. Herein, the one-pot method is developed for fabricating wafer-scale HfSe2/WSe2 interlayer heterostructures with vertically aligned van der Waals layers via interface-enhanced selenization and self-guided growth. By depositing a W layer (high sulfidation activity) over a Hf layer, followed by a one-pot selenization process, the chemical combination between Hf and Se atoms is enhanced through interfacial Se diffusion and confined lattice reaction. Moreover, the WSe2 layers grow perpendicular to the substrate and further guide the crystallization of the bottom HfSe2 layers. The resulting heterostructures, characterized by covalent bonds, demonstrate significant charge transfer, enhanced piezoelectricity, notable rectification effects, and Si-compatible transistor integration. This interface-enhanced selenization and self-guided growth pathway may provide valuable insights into the fabrication of covalently connected interlayer heterostructures involving metals with low sulfidation activity, as well as the development of high-density integrated circuits.

Wafer-Scale Growth and Transfer of High-Quality MoS2 Array by Interface Design for High-Stability Flexible Photosensitive Device

Transition metal disulfide compounds (TMDCs) emerges as the promising candidate for new-generation flexible (opto-)electronic device fabrication. However, the harsh growth condition of TMDCs results in the necessity of using hard dielectric substrates, and thus the additional transfer process is essential but still challenging. Here, an efficient strategy for preparation and easy separation-transfer of high-uniform and quality-enhanced MoS2 via the precursor pre-annealing on the designed graphene inserting layer is demonstrated. Based on the novel strategy, it achieves the intact separation and transfer of a 2-inch MoS2 array onto the flexible resin. It reveals that the graphene inserting layer not only enhances MoS2 quality but also decreases interfacial adhesion for easy separation-transfer, which achieves a high yield of ≈99.83%. The theoretical calculations show that the chemical bonding formation at the growth interface has been eliminated by graphene. The separable graphene serves as a photocarrier transportation channel, making a largely enhanced responsivity up to 6.86 mA W-1, and the photodetector array also qualifies for imaging featured with high contrast. The flexible device exhibits high bending stability, which preserves almost 100% of initial performance after 5000 cycles. The proposed novel TMDCs growth and separation-transfer strategy lightens their significance for advances in curved and wearable (opto-)electronic applications.

Phase Engineering and Synchrotron-Based Study on Two-Dimensional Energy Nanomaterials

In recent years, there has been significant interest in the development of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with unique physicochemical properties for various energy applications. These properties are often derived from the phase structures established through a range of physical and chemical design strategies. A concrete analysis of the phase structures and real reaction mechanisms of 2D energy nanomaterials requires advanced characterization methods that offer valuable information as much as possible. Here, we present a comprehensive review on the phase engineering of typical 2D nanomaterials with the focus of synchrotron radiation characterizations. In particular, the intrinsic defects, atomic doping, intercalation, and heterogeneous interfaces on 2D nanomaterials are introduced, together with their applications in energy-related fields. Among them, synchrotron-based multiple spectroscopic techniques are emphasized to reveal their intrinsic phases and structures. More importantly, various in situ methods are employed to provide deep insights into their structural evolutions under working conditions or reaction processes of 2D energy nanomaterials. Finally, conclusions and research perspectives on the future outlook for the further development of 2D energy nanomaterials and synchrotron radiation light sources and integrated techniques are discussed.

Liquid Phase Edge Epitaxy of Transition-Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayers

Precise monolayer epitaxy is important for two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors toward future electronics. Here, we report a new self-limited epitaxy approach, liquid phase edge epitaxy (LPEE), for precise-monolayer epitaxy of transition-metal dichalcogenides. In this method, the liquid solution contacts 2D grains only at the edges, which confines the epitaxy only at the grain edges and then precise monolayer epitaxy can be achieved. High-temperature in situ imaging of the epitaxy progress directly supports this edge-contact epitaxy mechanism. Typical transition-metal dichalcogenide monolayers (MX₂, M = Mo, W, and Re; X = S or Se) have been obtained by LPEE with a proper choice of molten alkali halide solvents (AL, A = Li, Na, K, and Cs; L = Cl, Br, or I). Furthermore, alloying and magnetic-element doping have also been realized by taking advantage of the liquid phase epitaxy approach. This LPEE method provides a precise and highly versatile approach for 2D monolayer epitaxy and can revolutionize the growth of 2D materials toward electronic applications.

A Wafer-Scale Nanoporous 2D Active Pixel Image Sensor Matrix with High Uniformity, High Sensitivity, and Rapid Switching

2D transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been successfully developed as novel ubiquitous optoelectronics owing to their excellent electrical and optical characteristics. However, active-matrix image sensors based on TMDs have limitations owing to the difficulty of fabricating large-area integrated circuitry and achieving high optical sensitivity. Herein, a large-area uniform, highly sensitive, and robust image sensor matrix with active pixels consisting of nanoporous molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂ ) phototransistors and indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) switching transistors is reported. Large-area uniform 4-inch wafer-scale bilayer MoS₂ films are synthesized by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and sulfurization processes and patterned to be a nanoporous structure consisting of an array of periodic nanopores on the MoS₂ surface via block copolymer lithography. Edge exposure on the nanoporous bilayer MoS₂ induces the formation of subgap states, which promotes a photogating effect to obtain an exceptionally high photoresponsivity of 5.2 × 10⁴ A W^-1 . A 4-inch-wafer-scale image mapping is successively achieved using this active-matrix image sensor by controlling the device sensing and switching states. The high-performance active-matrix image sensor is state-of-the-art in 2D material-based integrated circuitry and pixel image sensor applications.

Large-Scale MoS2 Pixel Array for Imaging Sensor

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) has been extensively investigated in the field of optoelectronic devices. However, most reported MoS₂ phototransistors are fabricated using the mechanical exfoliation method to obtain micro-scale MoS₂ flakes, which is laboratory- feasible but not practical for the future industrial fabrication of large-scale pixel arrays. Recently, wafer-scale MoS₂ growth has been rapidly developed, but few results of uniform large-scale photoelectric devices were reported. Here, we designed a 12 × 12 pixels pixel array image sensor fabricated on a 2 cm × 2 cm monolayer MoS₂ film grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The photogating effect induced by the formation of trap states ensures a high photoresponsivity of 364 AW^-1, which is considerably superior to traditional CMOS sensors (≈0.1 AW^-1). Experimental results also show highly uniform photoelectric properties in this array. Finally, the concatenated image obtained by laser lighting stencil and photolithography mask demonstrates the promising potential of 2D MoS₂ for future optoelectrical applications.

Engineering of Defect-Rich Cu2WS4 Nano-homojunctions Anchored on Covalent Organic Frameworks for Enhanced Gaseous Elemental Mercury Removal

Fabricating two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD)-based unique composites is an effective way to boost the overall physical and chemical properties, which will be helpful for the efficient and fast capture of elemental mercury (Hg⁰) over a wide temperature range. Herein, we constructed a defect-rich Cu₂WS₄ nano-homojunction decorated on covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with abundant S vacancies. Highly well-dispersed and uniform Cu₂WS₄ nanoparticles were immobilized on COFs strongly via an ion pre-anchored strategy, consequently exhibiting enhanced Hg⁰ removal performance. The saturation adsorption capacity of Cu₂WS₄@COF composites (21.60 mg·g^-1) was 9 times larger than that of Cu₂WS₄ crystals, which may be ascribed to more active S sites exposed in hybrid interfaces formed in the Cu₂WS₄ nano-homojunction and between Cu₂WS₄ nanoparticles and COFs. More importantly, such hybrid materials reduced adsorption deactivation at high temperatures, having a wide operating temperature range (from 40 to 200 °C) owing to the thermostability of active S species immobilized by both physical confined and chemical interactions in COFs. Accordingly, this work not only provides an effective method to construct uniform TMD-based sorbents for mercury capture but also opens a new realm of advanced COF hybrid materials with designed functionalities.

Role of Surface Adsorbates on the Photoresponse of (MO)CVD-Grown Graphene-MoS2 Heterostructure Photodetectors

A promising strategy toward ultrathin, sensitive photodetectors is the combination of a photoactive semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) monolayer like MoS₂ with highly conductive graphene. Such devices often exhibit a complex and contradictory photoresponse as incident light can trigger both photoconductivity and photoinduced desorption of molecules from the surface. Here, we use metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) to directly grow MoS₂ on top of graphene that is deposited on a sapphire wafer via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for realizing graphene-MoS₂ photodetectors. Two-color optical pump-electrical probe experiments allow for separation of light-induced carrier transfer across the graphene-MoS₂ heterointerface from adsorbate-induced effects. We demonstrate that adsorbates strongly modify both magnitude and sign of the photoconductivity. This is attributed to a change of the graphene doping from p- to n-type in case adsorbates are being desorbed, while in either case, photogenerated electrons are transferred from MoS₂ to graphene. This nondestructive probing method sheds light on the charge carrier transfer mechanisms and the role of adsorbates in two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure photodetectors.

Laser-Triggered Bottom-Up Transcription of Chemical Information: Toward Patterned Graphene/MoS2 Heterostructures

Efficiently assembling heterostructures with desired interface properties, stability, and facile patternability is challenging yet crucial to modern device fabrication. Here, we demonstrate an interface coupling concept to bottom-up construct covalently linked graphene/MoS₂ heterostructures in a spatially defined manner. The covalent heterostructure domains are selectively created in analogy to the traditional printmaking technique, enabling graphic patterns at the bottom MoS₂ layer to be precisely transferred to the top graphene layer. This bottom-up connection and transcription of chemical information is achieved simply via laser beam irradiation. Our approach opens up a new paradigm for heterostructure construction and integration. It enables the efficient generation and real-time visualization of spatially well-resolved covalent graphene/MoS₂ heterostructures, facilitating further design and integration of patterned heterostructures into new generations of high-performance devices.

Heterointerface Engineering in Electromagnetic Absorbers: New Insights and Opportunities

Electromagnetic (EM) absorbers play an increasingly essential role in the electronic information age, even toward the coming "intelligent era". The remarkable merits of heterointerface engineering and its peculiar EM characteristics inject a fresh and infinite vitality for designing high-efficiency and stimuli-responsive EM absorbers. However, there still exist huge challenges in understanding and reinforcing these interface effects from the micro and macro perspectives. Herein, EM response mechanisms of interfacial effects are dissected in depth, and with a focus on advanced characterization as well as theoretical techniques. Then, the representative optimization strategies are systematically discussed with emphasis on component selection and structural design. More importantly, the most cutting-edge smart EM functional devices based on heterointerface engineering are reported. Finally, current challenges and concrete suggestions are proposed, and future perspectives on this promising field are also predicted.

Synthesis of vertically-aligned large-area MoS2nanofilm and its application in MoS2/Si heterostructure photodetector

Van der Waals heterostructures based on the combination of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides and conventional semiconductors offer new opportunities for the next generation of optoelectronics. In this work, the sulfurization of Mo film is used to synthesize vertically-aligned MoS₂nanofilm (V-MoS₂) with wafer-size and layer controllability. The V-MoS₂/n-Si heterojunction was fabricated by using a 20 nm thickness V-MoS₂, and the self-powered broadband photodetectors covering from deep ultraviolet to near infrared is achieved. The device shows superior responsivity (5.06 mA W^-1), good photodetectivity (5.36 × 10¹¹Jones) and high on/off ratioI_on/I_off(8.31 × 10³at 254 nm). Furthermore, the V-MoS₂/n-Si heterojunction device presents a fast response speed with the rise time and fall time being 54.53 ms and 97.83 ms, respectively. The high photoelectric performances could be attributed to the high-quality heterojunction between the V-MoS₂and n-Si. These findings suggest that the V-MoS₂/n-Si heterojunction has great potential applications in the deep ultraviolet-near infrared detection field, and might be used as a part of the construction of integrated optoelectronic systems.

MoS2 Nanocomposite Films with High Irradiation Tolerance and Self-Adaptive Lubrication

Although nanostructures and oxide dispersion can reduce radiation-induced damage in materials and enhance radiation tolerance, previous studies prove that MoS₂ nanocomposite films subjected to several dpa heavy ion irradiation show significant degradation of tribological properties. Even in YSZ-doped MoS₂ nanocomposite films, irradiation leads to obvious disordering and damage such as vacancy accumulation to form lamellar voids in the amorphous matrix, which accelerates the failure of lubrication. However, after thermal annealing in vacuum, YSZ-doped MoS₂ nanocomposite films exhibit high irradiation tolerance, and their wear duration remains unchanged and the wear rate was nearly three orders of magnitude lower than that of the as-deposited films after 7 dpa irradiation. This successful combination of anti-irradiation and self-adaptive lubrication mainly results from the manipulation of the nanosize and the change of composition by annealing. Compared with the smaller nanograins in as-deposited MoS₂/YSZ nanocomposite films, the thermally annealed MoS₂ nanocrystals (7-15 nm) with fewer intrinsic defects exhibited remarkable stabilization upon irradiation. Abundant amorphous nanocrystal phases in ion-irradiated thermally annealed films, where each has advantages of their own, greatly inhibit accumulation of voids and crack growth in irradiation; meanwhile, they can be easily self-assembled under induction of friction and achieve self-adaptive lubrication.

Interface chemistry of two-dimensional heterostructures - fundamentals to applications

Two-dimensional heterostructures (2D HSs) have emerged as a new class of materials where dissimilar 2D materials are combined to synergise their advantages and alleviate shortcomings. Such a combination of dissimilar components into 2D HSs offers fascinating properties and intriguing functionalities attributed to the newly formed heterointerface of constituent components. Understanding the nature of the surface and the complex heterointerface of HSs at the atomic level is crucial for realising the desired properties, designing innovative 2D HSs, and ultimately unlocking their full potential for practical applications. Therefore, this review provides the recent progress in the field of 2D HSs with a focus on the discussion of the fundamentals and the chemistry of heterointerfaces based on van der Waals (vdW) and covalent interactions. It also explains the challenges associated with the scalable synthesis and introduces possible methodologies to produce large quantities with good control over the heterointerface. Subsequently, it highlights the specialised characterisation techniques to reveal the heterointerface formation, chemistry and nature. Afterwards, we give an overview of the role of 2D HSs in various emerging applications, particularly in high-power batteries, bifunctional catalysts, electronics, and sensors. In the end, we present conclusions with the possible solutions to the associated challenges with the heterointerfaces and potential opportunities that can be adopted for innovative applications.

Barrier-assisted vapor phase CVD of large-area MoS2 monolayers with high spatial homogeneity

Atomically thin molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) is a direct band gap semiconductor with negatively charged trions and stable excitons in striking contrast to the wonder material graphene. While large-area growth of MoS2 can be readily achieved by gas-phase chemical vapor deposition (CVD), growth of continuous MoS2 atomic layers with good homogeneity is indeed one of the major challenges in vapor-phase CVD involving all-solid precursors. In this study, we demonstrate the growth of large-area continuous single crystal MoS2 monolayers on c-plane sapphire by carefully positioning the substrate using a facile staircase-like barrier. The barrier offered great control in mitigating the secondary and intermediate phases as well as second layer nucleation, and eventually a continuous monolayer with high surface homogeneity is realized. Both micro-Raman and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results confirmed the high structural quality of the grown MoS2 layers. Using low temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy, additional pieces of information are provided for the strong band-edge emission in the light of vacancy compensation and formation of Mo-O bonding. The monolayer MoS2 transferred to SiO2/Si exhibited a room temperature field-effect mobility of ∼1.2 cm2 V-1 s-1 in a back-gated two-terminal configuration.

Exceptionally Uniform and Scalable Multilayer MoS2 Phototransistor Array Based on Large-Scale MoS2 Grown by RF Sputtering, Electron Beam Irradiation, and Sulfurization

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) has emerged as a promising material for optoelectronic applications because of its superior electrical and optical properties. However, the difficulty in synthesizing large-scale MoS₂ films has been recognized as a bottleneck in uniform and reproducible device fabrication and performance. Here, we proposed a radio-frequency magnetron sputter system, and post-treatments of electron beam irradiation and sulfurization to obtain large-scale continuous and high-quality multilayer MoS₂ films. Large-area uniformity was confirmed by no deviation of electrical performance in fabricated MoS₂ thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an average on/off ratio of 10³ and a transconductance of 0.67 nS. Especially, the photoresponsivity of our MoS₂ TFT reached 3.7 A W^-1, which is a dramatic improvement over that of a previously reported multilayer MoS₂ TFT (0.1 A W^-1) because of the photogating effect induced by the formation of trap states in the band gap. Finally, we organized a 4 × 4 MoS₂ phototransistor array with high photosensitivity, linearity, and uniformity for light detection, which demonstrates the great potential of 2D MoS₂ for future-oriented optoelectronic devices.

Direct Observation of Charge Injection of Graphene in the Graphene/WSe2 Heterostructure by Optical-Pump Terahertz-Probe Spectroscopy

Charge transfer across the interface and interlayer coupling in the graphene van der Waals heterostructure, which is constructed by graphene and semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), is critical for their electronic and optoelectronic applications. Photo-induced charge injection from TMDC to graphene has been studied in several heterostructure photodetectors. However, the response time significantly varies among different reports, ranging from microseconds to milliseconds. In this work, using a graphene/WSe₂ heterostructure as an example, we directly observe the carrier density change in graphene by time-resolved optical-pump terahertz (THz)-probe spectroscopy and show the ultrafast picosecond photoresponse of graphene. In the absence of photoexcitation, THz time-domain spectroscopic measurements show that WSe₂ can transfer holes to graphene and pull down the Fermi level of graphene. After excitation by the ultrafast laser pulse, the transient THz response shows a rapid (∼0.35 ps) increase in the graphene conductivity mainly due to the hole injection from WSe₂ into graphene. Unlike previous reports on band bend as the guidance mechanism for charge transfer, our results show that the relevant mechanism is the band offset across the atomically sharp interface.

Revealing the Grain Boundary Formation Mechanism and Kinetics during Polycrystalline MoS2 Growth

Controllable synthesis of MoS₂ with desired grain morphology via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD) remains a challenge. Hence, it is important to understand polycrystalline growth of MoS₂ and further provide guidelines for its CVD/PVD growth. Here, we formulate a kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) model aiming at predicting the grain boundary (GB) formation in the CVD/PVD growth of polycrystalline MoS₂. In the kMC model, the grain growth is via kink nucleation and propagation, whose energetic parameters and initial nucleus details are either from first-principles calculations or from experiments. Using the kMC model, we perform extensive simulations to predict the GB formation by using two, three, four, and five initial nuclei and compare the simulation results with previous experimental results. The obtained GB morphologies are in an excellent agreement with those experimental results. These agreements suggest that the proposed kMC model can correctly capture the mechanism and kinetics of GB formation. In particular, we reveal that the formation of smooth/rough GB is dictated by the two growth vectors for the kink propagation at the two associated grain edges, which is validated by our high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy images for PVD growth of MoS₂ grains. Besides, we have made predictions beyond reproducing experimental observations, including the growth with artificially designed nuclei, the morphology transformation by tuning the Mo and S sources, and the formation of high-quality single-crystalline monolayer MoS₂ by using single-crystalline substrates with vicinal steps. Our kMC model may serve as a powerful predictive tool for the CVD/PVD growth of monolayer MoS₂ with desired GB configurations.

Reversible direct-indirect band transition in alloying TMDs heterostructures via band engineering

Alloying is a feasible and practical strategy to tune the electronic properties of 2D layered semiconductors. Here, based on first-principles calculations and analysis, we demonstrate band engineering through alloying W into a prototype MoS₂/MoSe₂ heterostructure. Especially, when the W compositions x  >  0.57 in Mo_1-x W _x S₂/MoSe₂, it exhibits remarkable and reversible direct- to indirect-gap transition. This is because for Mo_1-x W _x S₂/MoSe₂, the valence band maximum located at the K point originates from dominant MoSe₂, while the competing Γ state stems from the hybridization of both Mo_1-xW _x S₂ and MoSe₂, which is extremely sensitive to the interlayer coupling. Consequently, alloying in MoS₂ layer induces direct- to indirect-gap transition and gap increase due to the weakened p-d coupling. We also observe that whether initial alloying in MoS₂ or MoSe₂, the µMo-µW poor condition should always be used. Our findings are generally applicable and will significantly expand the band engineering to other alloying TMDs heterostructures.

Electrically and Optically Tunable Responses in Graphene/Transition-Metal-Dichalcogenide Heterostructures

Heterostructures involving layered two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are not only fundamentally interesting to explore emerging properties at atomically thin limit, but also technically important to achieve novel optoelectronic devices. However, achieving tunable optoelectronic properties and clarifying interlayer processes (charge transfer, energy transfer) in 2D heterostructures have remained part of the key challenges so far. Here, by fabricating heterostructures of graphene and monolayer TMDCs (n-type MoS₂ and p-type WSe₂), we demonstrate both electrically and optically tunable responses of the heterostructures, revealing the critical interface processes between graphene and TMDCs. In MoS₂/graphene heterostructures, electron transfer from MoS₂ to graphene is observed, and gate-tunable interface relaxation induces the electrically controlled photoluminescence (PL), whereas in WSe₂/graphene heterostructures, electron transfer from graphene to WSe₂ is observed, and the PL is tuned by carrier density, which can be controlled by the gate voltage. The interlayer process can also be modulated by laser intensity, which enables photoinduced doping on graphene and optically tunable electrical characteristics of graphene. Combining the tunable Fermi level of graphene and strong light-matter interaction of monolayer TMDCs, our demonstrations are important for the design of multifunctional and efficient optoelectronic devices with TMDC/graphene heterostructures.

A PFTBT modified visible-blind ultraviolet photodetector with a narrow detecting range and high responsivity

A visible-blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) based on TiO₂/polyvinyl carbazole doped with poly {[2,7-(9-(20-ethylhexyl)-9-hexyl-fluorene])-alt-[5,50-(40,70-di-2-thienyl-20,10,30-benzothid-iazole)]} (PFTBT) was successfully fabricated. The introduced PFTBT exhibits high absorbance in the UV region and high conductivity which increases the device absorbance and the efficiency of carrier mobility. Besides, PFTBT acts as traps which can increase the concentration of the majority carrier. Therefore, the doped device exhibits high responsivity and high specific detectivity with the value of 0.22 A W^-1 and 1.78 × 10¹² Jones which respectively has a 3.6 and 2.6 times greater enhancement than the device without doping. The response time is also improved from 27 ms to 22 ms. Owing to the different absorbances that the materials have, the PD has a narrow detection range from 320 nm to 340 nm which is helpful to the study of the specific wavelength. In other words, the research provides a potential way to fabricate practical high-performance UVPDs.

Controllable one-step growth of bilayer MoS2-WS2/WS2 heterostructures by chemical vapor deposition

Heterostructures of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer attractive prospects for practical applications by combining unique physical properties that are distinct from those of traditional structures. In this paper, we demonstrate a three-stage chemical vapor deposition method for the growth of bilayer MoS₂-WS₂/WS₂ heterostructures with the bottom layers being the lateral MoS₂-center/WS₂-edge monolayer heterostructures and the top layers being the WS₂ monolayers. The alternative growth of lateral and vertical heterostructures can be realized by adjusting both the temperature and the carrier gas flow direction. The combined effect of both reverse gas flow and higher growing temperature can promote the epitaxial growth of second layer on the activated nucleation centers of the first monolayer heterostructures. By using customized temperature profiles, single heterostructures including monolayer lateral MoS₂-WS₂ heterostructures and bilayer lateral WS₂(2L)-MoS₂(2L) heterostructures could also be obtained. Atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence and Raman mapping studies clearly reveal that these different heterostructure samples are highly uniform. These results thus provide a promising and efficient method for the synthesis of complex heterostructures based on different TMDs materials, which would greatly expand the heterostructure family and broaden their applications.

Atomic-scale investigation of MgO growth on fused quartz using angle-dependent NEXAFS measurements

The phenomena related to thin film growth have always been interesting to the scientific community. Experiments related to these phenomena not only provide an understanding but also suggest a path for the controlled growth of these films. For the present work, MgO thin film growth on fused quartz was investigated using angle-dependent near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) measurements. To understand the growth of MgO, sputtering was allowed for 5, 10, 25, 36, 49, 81, 144, 256, and 400 min in a vacuum better than 5.0 × 10-7 torr. NEXAFS measurements revealed the evolution of MgO at the surface of fused quartz for sputtering durations of 144, 256, and 400 min. Below these sputtering durations, no MgO was observed. NEXAFS measurements further envisaged a systematic improvement of Mg2+ ion coordination in the MgO lattice with the sputtering duration. The onset of non-interacting molecular oxygen on the surface of the sputtered species on fused quartz was also observed for sputtering duration up to 81 min. Angle-dependent measurements exhibited the onset of an anisotropic nature of the formed chemical bonds with sputtering, which dominated for higher sputtering duration. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies carried out for sputtering durations of 144, 256, and 400 min exhibited the presence of the rocksalt phase of MgO. Annealing at 700 °C led to the dominant local electronic structure and improved the crystallinity of MgO. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a layer of almost 80 nm was obtained for a sputtering duration of 400 min. Thus, these angle-dependent NEXAFS measurements along with XRD, RBS, and SEM analyses were able to give a complete account for the growth of the thin films. Moreover, information specific to the coordination of the ions, which is important in case of ultrathin films, could be obtained successfully using this technique.

Hydrogen-Assisted Growth of Large-Area Continuous Films of MoS2 on Monolayer Graphene

We show how control over the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction chemistry of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) by hydrogen addition can enable the direct growth of centimeter-scale continuous films of vertically stacked MoS₂ monolayer on graphene under atmospheric pressure conditions. Hydrogen addition enables longer CVD growth times at high temperature by reducing oxidation effects that would otherwise degrade the monolayer graphene. By careful control of nucleation density and growth time, high-quality monolayer MoS₂ films could be formed on graphene, realizing all CVD-grown vertically stacked monolayer semimetal/semiconducting interfaces. Photoluminescence spectroscopy shows quenching of MoS₂ by the underlying graphene, indicating a good interfacial charge transfer. We utilize the MoS₂/graphene vertical stacks as photodetectors, with photoresponsivities reaching 2.4 A/W under 135 μW 532 nm illumination. This approach provides insights into the scalable manufacturing of high-quality two-dimensional electronic and optoelectronic devices.

van der Waals Layered Materials: Opportunities and Challenges

Since graphene became available by a scotch tape technique, a vast class of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials has been researched intensively. What is more intriguing is that the well-known physics and chemistry of three-dimensional (3D) bulk materials are often irrelevant, revealing exotic phenomena in 2D vdW materials. By further constructing heterostructures of these materials in the planar and vertical directions, which can be easily achieved via simple exfoliation techniques, numerous quantum mechanical devices have been demonstrated for fundamental research and technological applications. It is, therefore, necessary to review the special features in 2D vdW materials and to discuss the remaining issues and challenges. Here, we review the vdW materials library, technology relevance, and specialties of vdW materials covering the vdW interaction, strong Coulomb interaction, layer dependence, dielectric screening engineering, work function modulation, phase engineering, heterostructures, stability, growth issues, and the remaining challenges.

High-performance MoS2/Si heterojunction broadband photodetectors from deep ultraviolet to near infrared

Polycrystalline 2D layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) films were synthesized via a thermal decomposition method. The MoS₂/Si heterostructures were constructed in situ by synthesis MoS₂ on plane Si substrates. Such MoS₂/Si heterostructures exhibited high sensitivity to light illumination with wavelengths ranging from the deep ultraviolet to the near infrared. Photoresponse analysis reveals that a high responsivity of 23.1 A/W, a specific detectivity of 1.63×10¹² Jones, and a fast response speed of 21.6/65.5 μs were achieved. Notably, the MoS₂/Si heterojunction photodetector could operate with excellent stability and repeatability over a wide frequency range up to 150 kHz. The high performance could be attributed to the high-quality heterojunction between MoS₂ and Si obtained by the in situ fabrication process. Such high performance with broadband response suggests that MoS₂/Si heterostructures could have great potential in optoelectronic applications.

Computational Synthesis of MoS2 Layers by Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations: Initial Sulfidation of MoO3 Surfaces

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) like MoS₂ are promising candidates for next-generation electric and optoelectronic devices. These TMDC monolayers are typically synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). However, despite significant amount of empirical work on this CVD growth of monolayered crystals, neither experiment nor theory has been able to decipher mechanisms of selection rules for different growth scenarios, or make predictions of optimized environmental parameters and growth factors. Here, we present an atomic-scale mechanistic analysis of the initial sulfidation process on MoO₃ surfaces using first-principles-informed ReaxFF reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) simulations. We identify a three-step reaction process associated with synthesis of the MoS₂ samples from MoO₃ and S₂ precursors: O₂ evolution and self-reduction of the MoO₃ surface; SO/SO₂ formation and S₂-assisted reduction; and sulfidation of the reduced surface and Mo-S bond formation. These atomic processes occurring during early stage MoS₂ synthesis, which are consistent with experimental observations and existing theoretical literature, provide valuable input for guided rational synthesis of MoS₂ and other TMDC crystals by the CVD process.

Facile Synthesis of a MoS2 and Functionalized Graphene Heterostructure for Enhanced Lithium-Storage Performance

A facile strategy was designed for the in situ synthesis of MoS₂ nanospheres on functionalized graphene nanoplates (MoS₂@f-graphene) for use as lithium-ion battery anode materials. A modified Birch reduction was used to exfoliate graphite into few-layer graphene followed by modification with functional groups. Compared to the most common approach of mixing MoS₂ and reduced graphene oxide, our approach provides a way to circumvent the harsh oxidation and destruction of the carbon basal planes. In this process, alkylcarboxyl functional groups on the functionalized graphene (f-graphene) serve as sites where MoS₂ nanospheres crystallize, and thus create bridges between the MoS₂ nanospheres and the graphene layers to effectively facilitate electronic transport and to avoid both the aggregation of MoS₂ and the restacking of graphene. As anode materials, this unique MoS₂@f-graphene heterostructure has a high specific capacity of 1173 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 100 mA g^-1 and a good rate capacity (910 mAh g^-1 at 1600 mA g^-1).

Centimeter-Scale CVD Growth of Highly Crystalline Single-Layer MoS2 Film with Spatial Homogeneity and the Visualization of Grain Boundaries

MoS₂ monolayer attracts considerable attention due to its semiconducting nature with a direct bandgap which can be tuned by various approaches. Yet a controllable and low-cost method to produce large-scale, high-quality, and uniform MoS₂ monolayer continuous film, which is of crucial importance for practical applications and optical measurements, remains a great challenge. Most previously reported MoS₂ monolayer films had limited crystalline sizes, and the high density of grain boundaries inside the films greatly affected the electrical properties. Herein, we demonstrate that highly crystalline MoS₂ monolayer film with spatial size up to centimeters can be obtained via a facile chemical vapor deposition method with solid-phase precursors. This growth strategy contains selected precursor and controlled diffusion rate, giving rise to the high quality of the film. The well-defined grain boundaries inside the continuous film, which are invisible under an optical microscope, can be clearly detected in photoluminescence mapping and atomic force microscope phase images, with a low density of ∼0.04 μm^-1. Transmission electron microscopy combined with selected area electron diffraction measurements further confirm the high structural homogeneity of the MoS₂ monolayer film with large crystalline sizes. Electrical measurements show uniform and promising performance of the transistors made from the MoS₂ monolayer film. The carrier mobility remains high at large channel lengths. This work opens a new pathway toward electronic and optical applications, and fundamental growth mechanism as well, of the MoS₂ monolayer.

Selective and confined growth of transition metal dichalcogenides on transferred graphene

We demonstrate confinement of CVD grown MoS₂ to a patterned graphene area, forming a vertically stacked 2D heterostructure.