Multiscale Investigation of the Structural, Electrical and Photoluminescence Properties of MoS2 Obtained by MoO3 Sulfurization

In this paper, we report a multiscale investigation of the compositional, morphological, structural, electrical, and optical emission properties of 2H-MoS2 obtained by sulfurization at 800 °C of very thin MoO3 films (with thickness ranging from ~2.8 nm to ~4.2 nm) on a SiO2/Si substrate. XPS analyses confirmed that the sulfurization was very effective in the reduction of the oxide to MoS2, with only a small percentage of residual MoO3 present in the final film. High-resolution TEM/STEM analyses revealed the formation of few (i.e., 2–3 layers) of MoS2 nearly aligned with the SiO2 surface in the case of the thinnest (~2.8 nm) MoO3 film, whereas multilayers of MoS2 partially standing up with respect to the substrate were observed for the ~4.2 nm one. Such different configurations indicate the prevalence of different mechanisms (i.e., vapour-solid surface reaction or S diffusion within the film) as a function of the thickness. The uniform thickness distribution of the few-layer and multilayer MoS2 was confirmed by Raman mapping. Furthermore, the correlative plot of the characteristic A1g-E2g Raman modes revealed a compressive strain (ε ≈ −0.78 ± 0.18%) and the coexistence of n- and p-type doped areas in the few-layer MoS2 on SiO2, where the p-type doping is probably due to the presence of residual MoO3. Nanoscale resolution current mapping by C-AFM showed local inhomogeneities in the conductivity of the few-layer MoS2, which are well correlated to the lateral changes in the strain detected by Raman. Finally, characteristic spectroscopic signatures of the defects/disorder in MoS2 films produced by sulfurization were identified by a comparative analysis of Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectra with CVD grown MoS2 flakes.

Anomalous Polarization Pattern Evolution of Raman Modes in Few-layer ReS2 by Angle-resolved Polarized Raman Spectroscopy

Low-symmetry of ReS2 has not only in-plane but also out-of-plane anisotropic light scattering, which is complicated, yet interesting with intrinsic strong electron-phonon coupling. In such case, the Raman tensor also...

Quantitative Surface-Enhanced Spectroscopy

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a powerful technique for trace molecular detection, depends on chemical and electromagnetic enhancements. While recent advances in instrumentation and substrate design have expanded the utility, reproducibility, and quantitative capabilities of SERS, some challenges persist. In this review, advances in quantitative SERS detection are discussed as they relate to intermolecular interactions, surface selection rules, and target molecule solubility and accessibility. After a brief introduction to Raman scattering and SERS, impacts of surface selection rules and enhancement mechanisms are discussed as they relate to the observation of activation and deactivation of normal Raman modes in SERS. Next, experimental conditions that can be used to tune molecular affinity to and density near SERS substrates are summarized and considered while tuning these parameters are conveyed. Finally, successful examples of quantitative SERS detection are discussed, and future opportunities are outlined. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Physical Chemistry, Volume 73 is April 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Low-Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth of MoS2 Nanodots and Their Raman and Photoluminescence Profiles

We report on the growth of an ordered array of MoS2 nanodots (lateral sizes in the range of ∼100–250 nm) by a thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method directly onto SiO2 substrates at a relatively low substrate temperature (510–560°C). The temperature-dependent growth and evolution of MoS2 nanodots and the local environment of sulfur-induced structural defects and impurities were systematically investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. At the substrate temperature of 560°C, we observed mostly few-layer MoS2, and at 510°C, multilayer MoS2 growth, as confirmed from the Raman line shape analysis. With reduced substrate temperature, the density of MoS2 nanodots decreases, and layer thickness increases. Raman studies show characteristic Raman modes of the crystalline MoS2 layer, along with two new Raman modes centered at ∼346 and ∼361 cm−1, which are associated with MoO2 and MoO3 phases, respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) studies revealed strong visible PL from MoS2 layers, which is strongly blue-shifted from the bulk MoS2 flakes. The strong visible emission centered at ∼ 658 nm signifies a free excitonic transition in the direct gap of single-layer MoS2. Position-dependent PL profiles show excellent uniformity of the MoS2 layers for samples grown at 540 and 560°C. These results are significant for the low-temperature CVD growth of a few-layer MoS2 dots with direct bandgap photoluminescence on a flexible substrate.

Sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of CaTi1-x(Nb1/2Al1/2)xO3

CaTi1-x(Nb1/2Al1/2)xO3 with x=0.1-0.5 ceramics were processed through solid state sintering. X-rays diffraction (XRD) patterns of the compositions showed that the samples have orthorhombic crystal structure with symmetry (Pbnm). The symmetry was further confirmed using Raman spectroscopy. A total of 13 Raman modes were detected, which were in agreement with the XRD results. Microstructure analysis of the samples showed porosity in the samples, presumably due to the substitution of Al, having high melting point. As the concentration of Al and Nb increased, relative permittivity (er), quality factor (Q×fo) and temperature coefficient of resonance frequency decreased. Optimum microwave dielectric properties were achieved for the composition x=0.5 sintered at 1650 °C for 8 h i.e., er ~27.09, Q×fo ~17378 GHz and tf ~ -2.5 ppm/°C.

Polarization-dependent optical responses in natural 2D layered mineral teallite

Multi-element layered materials enable the use of stoichiometric variation to engineer their optical responses at subwavelength scale. In this regard, naturally occurring van der Waals minerals allow us to harness a wide range of chemical compositions, crystal structures and lattice symmetries for layered materials under atomically thin limit. Recently, one type of naturally occurring sulfide mineral, ternary teallite has attained significant interest in the context of thermoelectric, optoelectronic, and photovoltaic applications, but understanding of light-matter interactions in such ternary teallite crystals is scarcely available. Herein, polarization-dependent linear and nonlinear optical responses in mechanically exfoliated teallite crystals are investigated including anisotropic Raman modes, wavelength-dependent linear dichroism, optical band gap evolution, and anisotropic third-harmonic generation (THG). Furthermore, the third-order nonlinear susceptibility of teallite crystal is estimated using the thickness-dependent THG emission process. We anticipate that our findings will open the avenue to a better understanding of the tailored light-matter interactions in complex multi-element layered materials and their implications in optical sensors, frequency modulators, integrated photonic circuits, and other nonlinear signal processing applications.

Thickness-dependent in-plane anisotropy of GaTe phonons

Gallium Telluride (GaTe), a layered material with monoclinic crystal structure, has recently attracted a lot of attention due to its unique physical properties and potential applications for angle-resolved photonics and electronics, where optical anisotropies are important. Despite a few reports on the in-plane anisotropies of GaTe, a comprehensive understanding of them remained unsatisfactory to date. In this work, we investigated thickness-dependent in-plane anisotropies of the 13 Raman-active modes and one Raman-inactive mode of GaTe by using angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy, under both parallel and perpendicular polarization configurations in the spectral range from 20 to 300 cm−1. Raman modes of GaTe revealed distinctly different thickness-dependent anisotropies in parallel polarization configuration while nearly unchanged for the perpendicular configuration. Especially, three Ag modes at 40.2 ($${\text{A}}_{\text{g}}^{1}$$ A g 1 ), 152.5 ($${\text{A}}_{\text{g}}^{7}$$ A g 7 ), and 283.8 ($${\text{A}}_{\text{g}}^{12}$$ A g 12 ) cm−1 exhibited an evident variation in anisotropic behavior as decreasing thickness down to 9 nm. The observed anisotropies were thoroughly explained by adopting the calculated interference effect and the semiclassical complex Raman tensor analysis.

Study vibrational and structural properties of Cu3SeTe by raman spectroscopy and XRD

The compounds Cu3SeTe were synthesized, the crystal structure and atomic dynamics were studied. As a result of X-ray diffraction studies, it was determined that the crystal structure of this compound corresponds to the cubic symmetry of the space group P-43 m. The studies of atomic dynamics were carried out by the method of Raman spectroscopy in the frequency range [Formula: see text]–800 cm[Formula: see text]. It was found that the Raman modes obtained at frequencies [Formula: see text], 91.47, 119.83, 139.51, 208.18 and 266.41 cm[Formula: see text] correspond to vibrations of metal–chalcogen and chalcogen–chalcogen bonds.