Observing grain boundaries in CVD-grown monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides

Thuchue Ly, Ming-Hui Chiu, Ming-yang Li, Jiong Zhao, David J. Perello, Magdalena Ola Cichocka, Hyemin Oh, Sanghoon Chae, Hyeyun Jeong, Fei Yao, Lain-Jong Li, Young Hee Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

120 Scopus citations

Abstract

Two-dimensional monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMdCs), driven by graphene science, revisit optical and electronic properties, which are markedly different from bulk characteristics. These properties are easily modified due to accessibility of all the atoms viable to ambient gases, and therefore, there is no guarantee that impurities and defects such as vacancies, grain boundaries, and wrinkles behave as those of ideal bulk. On the other hand, this could be advantageous in engineering such defects. Here, we report a method of observing grain boundary distribution of monolayer TMdCs by a selective oxidation. This was implemented by exposing directly the TMdC layer grown on sapphire without transfer to ultraviolet light irradiation under moisture-rich conditions. The generated oxygen and hydroxyl radicals selectively functionalized defective grain boundaries in TMdCs to provoke morphological changes at the boundary, where the grain boundary distribution was observed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. This paves the way toward the investigation of transport properties engineered by defects and grain boundaries. (Figure Presented).
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)11401-11408
Number of pages8
JournalACS Nano
Volume8
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 30 2014

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by Project Code (IBS-R011-D1).

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • General Materials Science
  • General Engineering

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