Avinash P. Nayak

Pressure-induced semiconducting to metallic transition in multilayered molybdenum disulphide

Molybdenum disulphide is a layered transition metal dichalcogenide that has recently raised considerable interest due to its unique semiconducting and opto-electronic properties. Although several theoretical studies have suggested an electronic phase transition in molybdenum disulphide, there has been a lack of experimental evidence. Here we report comprehensive studies on the pressure-dependent electronic, vibrational, optical and structural properties of multilayered molybdenum disulphide up to 35 GPa. Our experimental results reveal a structural lattice distortion followed by an electronic transition from a semiconducting to metallic state at ~19 GPa, which is confirmed by ab initio calculations. The metallization arises from the overlap of the valance and conduction bands owing to sulphur-sulphur interactions as the interlayer spacing reduces. The electronic transition affords modulation of the opto-electronic gain in molybdenum disulphide. This pressure-tuned behaviour can enable the development of novel devices with multiple phenomena involving the strong coupling of the mechanical, electrical and optical properties of layered nanomaterials.

Pressure-Modulated Conductivity, Carrier Density, and Mobility of Multilayered Tungsten Disulfide

Tungsten disulfide (WS2) is a layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) that differs from other two-dimensional (2D) compounds such as graphene due to its unique semiconducting, tunable-band-gap nature. Multilayered WS2 exhibits an indirect band gap Eg of ∼1.3 eV, along with a higher load-bearing ability that is promising for strain-tuning device applications, but the electronic properties of multilayered WS2 at higher strain conditions (i.e., static strain >12%) remain an open question. Here we have studied the structural, electronic, electrical, and vibrational properties of multilayered WS2 at hydrostatic pressures up to ∼35 GPa experimentally in a diamond anvil cell and theoretically using first-principles ab initio calculations. Our results show that WS2 undergoes an isostructural semiconductor-to-metallic (S-M) transition at approximately 22 GPa at 280 K, which arises from the overlap of the highest valence and lowest conduction bands. The S-M transition is caused by increased sulfur-sulfur interactions as the interlayer spacing decreases with applied hydrostatic pressure. The metalization in WS2 can be alternatively interpreted as a 2D to 3D (three-dimensional) phase transition that is associated with a substantial modulation of the charge carrier characteristics including a 6-order decrease in resistivity, a 2-order decrease in mobility, and a 4-order increase in carrier concentration. These distinct pressure-tunable characteristics of the dimensionalized WS2 differentiate it from other TMD compounds such as MoS2 and promise future developments in strain-modulated advanced devices.

Thermal Oxidation of WSe2 Nanosheets Adhered on SiO2/Si Substrates

Because of the drastically different intralayer versus interlayer bonding strengths, the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials are highly anisotropic between the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. The structural anisotropy may also play a role in chemical reactions, such as oxidation, reduction, and etching. Here, the composition, structure, and electrical properties of mechanically exfoliated WSe2 nanosheets on SiO2/Si substrates were studied as a function of the extent of thermal oxidation. A major component of the oxidation, as indicated from optical and Raman data, starts from the nanosheet edges and propagates laterally toward the center. Partial oxidation also occurs in certain areas at the surface of the flakes, which are shown to be highly conductive by microwave impedance microscopy. Using secondary ion mass spectroscopy, we also observed extensive oxidation at the WSe2-SiO2 interface. The combination of multiple microcopy methods can thus provide vital information on the spatial evolution of chemical reactions on 2D materials and the nanoscale electrical properties of the reaction products.

Characterization and sonochemical synthesis of black phosphorus from red phosphorus

Phosphorene is a new two-dimensional material which is commonly prepared by exfoliation from black phosphorus bulk crystals that historically have been synthesized from white phosphorus under high-pressure conditions. The few layers of phosphorene have a direct band gap in the range of 0.3–2 eV and high mobility at room temperature comparable to epitaxial graphene. These characteristics can be used for the design of high speed digital circuits, radio frequency circuits, flexible and printed systems, and optoelectronic devices. In this work, we synthesized black phosphorus from red phosphorus, which is a safer solid precursor, using sonochemistry. Furthermore, via a variety of microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, we report characterization results of the sonochemically synthesized black phosphorus in addition to the commercial black phosphorus. Finally, we describe the air stability of black phosphors and the crystalline structure of the synthesized material. This is the first result of sonochemical or solution-based synthesis of black phosphorus based on readily available low-cost red phosphorus. This solution-based synthesis of black phosphorus is suitable for printable applications of nanomaterial.

Pressure-Induced Charge Transfer Doping of Monolayer Graphene/MoS2 Heterostructure.

A unique way of achieving controllable, pressure-induced charge transfer doping in the graphene/MoS2 heterostructure is proposed. The charge transfer causes an upward shift in the Dirac point with respect to Fermi level at a rate of 15.7 meV GPa(-1) as a function of applied hydrostatic pressure, leading to heavy p-type doping in graphene. The doping was confirmed by I2D /IG measurements.

High pressure Raman study of layered Mo0.5W0.5S2ternary compound

Ternary two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide compounds exhibit a tunable electronic structure allowing for control of the interlayer and the intralayer atomic displacement to efficiently tune their physical and electronic properties. Using a diamond anvil cell, hydrostatic pressure was applied to Mo0.5W0.5S2 up to 40 GPa in order to study the optical phonon vibrational modes. Analysis of the high-pressure Raman spectra shows that the two in-plane E2g modes resembling that of pristine MoS2 and WS2, as well as disorder-activated longitudinal acoustic phonon mode, are hardened and suppressed as pressure increases. The two A1g modes of the ternary compound that resemble the A1g modes of pristine MoS2 and WS2, displayed similar Raman shifts to the pristine compounds as pressure increases. A Raman peak at 470 cm−1 that is close to A1g peaks emerges at ~8 GPa, which represents a disorder-activated pressure-induced out-of-plane Raman mode observed only in the ternary compound under high pressure. At pressures above ~30 GPa, a Raman peak at approximately 340 cm−1 is observed, signifying additional disorder-activated vibration mode. Our results reveal the enhanced interactions in the structural and vibrational behavior of the MoS2 and WS2 domains in the Mo0.5W0.5S2 compound under hydrostatic pressure. These results could have implications in understanding the electronic, optical, and structural properties of the new 2D ternary compound materials under extreme mechanical conditions.

INVERSION OF THE ELECTRICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF PARTIALLY OXIDIZED HEXAGONAL BORON NITRIDE

By acoustically irradiating pristine, white, electrically insulating h-BN in aqueous environment we were able to invert its material properties. The resulting dark, electrically conductive h-BN (referred to as partially oxidized h-BN or PO-hBN) shows a significant decrease in optical transmission (>60%) and bandgap (from 5.46 eV to 3.97 eV). Besides employing a wide variety of analytical techniques (optical and electrical measurements, Raman spectroscopy, SEM imaging, EDS, X-Ray diffraction, XPS and TOF-SIMS) to study the material properties of pristine and irradiated h-BN, our investigation suggests the basic mechanism leading to the dramatic changes following the acoustic treatment. We find that the degree of inversion arises from the degree of h-BN surface or edge oxidation which heavily depends on the acoustic energy density provided to the pristine h-BN platelets during the solution-based process. This provides a facile avenue for the realization of materials with tuned physical and chemical properties that depart from the intrinsic behavior of pristine h-BN.