MoS2 tagged posts

Schematic representation of the crack propagation in 2D MoS2 at the atomic level. Dislocations shown with red and purple dots are visible at the crack tip zone. Internal tensile stresses are represented by red arrows.

Cracks sank the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic; decrease the performance of touchscreens and erode teeth. We are familiar with cracks in 3D objects, but how do thin 2D materials crack? 2D materials, like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), have emerged as an important asset for future electronic and photoelectric devices. However, the mechanical properties of 2D materials are expected to differ greatly from 3D materials...

Using a layer of molybdenum disulfide less than one nanometer thick, researchers in Rice University’s Thomann lab were able to design a system that absorbed more than 35 percent of incident light in the 400- to 700-nanometer wavelength range. Credit: Thomann Group/Rice University

Mechanics know molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as a useful lubricant in aircraft and motorcycle engines and in the CV and universal joints of trucks and automobiles. Rice University researcher Isabell Thomann knows it as a remarkably light-absorbent substance that holds promise for the development of energy-efficient optoelectronic and photocatalytic devices.

“Basically, we want to understand how much light can be confined in an atomically thin semiconductor monolayer of MoS2,” said Assitant/Prof Thomann...

Electroluminescence from vertically stacked GaN–Al2O3–MoS2–Al2O3-graphene heterostructures.

1st demo of electroluminescence from multilayer molybdenum disulfide, or MoS2, a discovery that could lead to a new class of materials for making LEDs. In its single-layer form, Mos2 is optically active, meaning that it emits light when electric current is run through it or when it is shot with a nondestructive laser. Multilayer molybdenum disulfide, by contrast, is easier and less expensive to produce, but it is not normally luminescent. In the new study, Duan and Dehui, created the 1st multilayer device that shows strong luminescence when electrical current is passed through it.

“It was rather surprising for us to discover that similar vertical devices made of multilayer MoS2 somehow showed ...