Controlling the optoelectronic and anti-icing properties of two-dimensional materials by functionalization

Abstract

Research on two-dimensional (2D) materials has exploded since 2004, when A. Geim and K. Novoselov demonstrated the remarkable properties graphene, which they had successfully isolated by using scotch tape. Subsequently, the research community has shown great interest to explore others 2D materials, namely transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), black phosphorus (BP), germanene and MXenes. Their physical and chemical properties identify them as promising candidates for application in electronic devices, sensors, catalytists, and coatings. We start in Chapter 1 by providing a general introduction to the field and explain the primary objective of this Ph.D. research project. Chapter 2 outlines the experimental details relative to the projects we report on in this thesis. Chapter 3 focuses on the growth of MoS2 by chemical vapour deposition. In Chapter 4, we describe how to identify the intrinsic defects of MoS2 grown by chemical vapour deposition with the help of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In Chapter 5 we expand our study on surface functionalization of MoS2 grown by chemical vapour deposition. In Chapter 6, we shift our focus on another 2D material namely graphene and report on the wetting properties of a coating based on graphene oxide layer for anti-icing applications.