Recent development of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides and their applications

TLDR

Recent advances in atomically thin 2D transition metal dichalcogenides have enabled diverse technologies in nanoelectronics, photonics, sensing, energy storage, and optoelectronics, and are increasingly used in niche next‑generation devices due to their atomic thickness. This review examines recent progress in 2D TMDs beyond graphene, focusing on the fabrication of novel materials with exotic functionalities and new chemistry, and discusses their applications in energy and sensing. The authors survey recent growth techniques that produce scalable, defect‑free TMDs (e.g., MoS₂, WS₂, MoSe₂, WSe₂) on conventional and unconventional substrates, and highlight fabrication strategies for novel 2D TMDs with exotic properties and their use in energy and sensing devices.

Abstract

Recent advances in atomically thin two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) have led to a variety of promising technologies for nanoelectronics, photonics, sensing, energy storage, and opto-electronics, to name a few. This article reviews the recent progress in 2D materials beyond graphene and includes mainly transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) (e.g. MoS2, WS2, MoSe2, and WSe2). These materials are finding niche applications for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics devices relying on ultimate atomic thicknesses. Albeit several challenges in developing scalable and defect-free TMDs on desired substrates, new growth techniques compatible with traditional and unconventional substrates have been developed to meet the ever-increasing demand of high quality and controllability for practical applications. The fabrication of novel 2D TMDs that exhibit exotic functionalities and fundamentally new chemistry is highlighted. And finally, in parallel with the electronics, the considerable effort devoted to using these materials for energy and sensing applications is discussed in detail.