Metallic Vanadium Disulfide Nanosheets as a Platform Material for Multifunctional Electrode Applications

Abstract

Nanothick metallic transition metal dichalcogenides such as VS₂ are essential building blocks for constructing next-generation electronic and energy-storage applications, as well as for exploring unique physical issues associated with the dimensionality effect. However, such two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have yet to be achieved through either mechanical exfoliation or bottom-up synthesis. Herein, we report a facile chemical vapor deposition route for direct production of crystalline VS₂ nanosheets with sub-10 nm thicknesses and domain sizes of tens of micrometers. The obtained nanosheets feature spontaneous superlattice periodicities and excellent electrical conductivities (∼3 × 10³ S cm^-1), which has enabled a variety of applications such as contact electrodes for monolayer MoS₂ with contact resistances of ∼1/4 to that of Ni/Au metals, and as supercapacitor electrodes in aqueous electrolytes showing specific capacitances as high as 8.6 × 10² F g^-1. This work provides fresh insights into the delicate structure-property relationship and the broad application prospects of such metallic 2D materials.