We report a controllable wet method for effective decoration of 2-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) layers with Au nanoparticles (NPs). Au NPs can be selectively formed on the edge sites or defective sites of MoS2 layers. The Au-MoS2 nano-composites are formed by non-covalent bond. The size distribution, morphology and density of the metal nanoparticles can be tuned by changing the d...

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) is a promising candidate for electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, its application in light harvesting has been limited in part due to crystal defects, often related to small crystallite sizes, which diminish charge separation and transfer. Here we demonstrate a surface-engineering strategy for 2D MoS2 to improve its photoelectrochemical properties. C...

We report a simple and mass-scalable approach for thin MoS2 films via RF sputtering combined with the post-deposition annealing process. We have prepared as-sputtered film using a MoS2 target in the sputtering system. The as-sputtered film was subjected to post-deposition annealing to improve crystalline quality at 700 °C in a sulfur and argon environment. The analysis confirmed the growth of c...

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of thin MoS2 layers exfoliated on an Au/SiO2 substrate were investigated both numerically and experimentally. It was found that the MoS2 layers with different thicknesses exhibited different colors on the gold film. The reflection spectra of the MoS2 layers with different thicknesses were calculated by using the finite-difference time-domain technique...

MoS2 is widely used in many fields including spin-valleytronics, logic transistors, light emitting devices, clean energy and biology. However, controllable synthesis of two-dimensional MoS2 sheets remains a great challenge. We report the formation of round-shaped monolayer MoS2 domains with a tunable size and the shape transformation from triangle to round. A qualitative interpretation of the f...

Ab initio density functional theory calculations are performed to study the electronic properties of a MoS2 monolayer deposited over a SiO2 substrate in the presence of interface impurities and defects. When MoS2 is placed on a defect-free substrate, the oxide plays an insignificant role since the conduction band top and the valence band minimum of MoS2 are located approximately in the middle o...

MoS2 is a layered two-dimensional semiconductor with a direct band gap of 1.8 eV. The MoS2/bulk semiconductor system offers a new platform for solar cell device design. Different from the conventional bulk p-n junctions, in the MoS2/bulk semiconductor heterostructure, static charge transfer shifts the Fermi level of MoS2 toward that of bulk semiconductor, lowering the barrier height of the form...

Size-controlled synthesis of luminescent quantum dots of MoS2 (≤2 layers) with narrow size distribution, ranging from 2.5 to 6 nm, from their bulk material using a unique electrochemical etching of bulk MoS2 is demonstrated. Excitation-dependent photoluminescence emission is observed in the MoS2 QDs. "As-synthesized" MoS2 QDs also exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity towards hydrogen evo...

At present, composite photocatalysts containing MoS2 as a co-catalyst and a subjective semiconductor material are usually obtained via various complex reduction methods using NH4MoS4 or Na2MoO4 as a precursor. In this work, a simple method was proposed to synthesize MoS2-TiO2 composite photocatalysts via mechanochemistry using MoS2 as a direct precursor. 4.0% MoS2-TiO2 after ball-milling at 300...

Achieving tunability of two dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) functions calls for the introduction of hybrid 2D materials by means of localized interactions with zero dimensional (0D) materials. A metal-semiconductor interface, as in gold (Au) - molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), is of great interest from the standpoint of fundamental science as it constitutes an outstanding pl...