A group of scientists and researchers at the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) believe they have discovered a competitor to graphene. The group came together and recently manufactured molybdenum di-sulphide (MoS2), which is a material extremely comparable to graphene.
MoS2 is similar to graphene because it has many of the same properties; however, it is very different in its levels of mechanical strength. It is made from “a metal (in this case molybdenum combined with sulphur), and this new class of thin metal/sulphide materials, known as transition metal di-chalcogenides (TMDCs) has become an exciting complimentary material to graphene.” The main difference between MoS2 and graphene is that MoS2 can “emit light allowing applications, such as photodetectors and light emitting devices, to be manufactured,” since it is made out of metal.
“We have been working on the synthesis of chalcogenide materials using a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process since 2001 and our technology has now achieved the fabrication of large area (>1000 mm2) ultra- thin films only a few atoms thick. Being able to manufacture sheets of MoS2 and related materials, rather than just microscopic flakes, as previously was the case, greatly expands their promise for nanoelectronic and optoelectronic applications,” Dr. Kevin Huang, from ORC, said.
“Our ability to not only synthesize large uniform thin films but also to transfer these films to virtually any substrate has led to increased demand for our materials. We welcome enquiries from universities and industry who wish to collaborate with us,” Dr. Huang added.
