CVD growth of large-area, continuous, and defect-free MoS2 multilayer films from solution-cast seed nanoflakes

Abstract

Defects in transition metal dichalcogenides are among the primary source of their chemical reactivity, including their response to water. The CVD growth of defect-free continuous molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) films has been particularly challenging. In this work, we demonstrate the growth of large-area continuous films of MoS2 using solution-cast MoS2 seed nanoflakes, both with and without the assistance of alkali halide. The MoS2 seed nanoflakes serve as nucleation sites for the in-plane growth of few-layer MoS2, which is accompanied by localized vertical growth of MoS2 particles. For films grown with the combination of seed and NaCl, very low oxygen content was observed together with the stoichiometric ratio of Mo: S being close to the ideal value of 1: 2. These films show humidity-insensitive electrical response over a wide interval (5%–95% RH). This is attributed to very low concentrations of edge and basal-plane defects, leading to low water dissociation and restricted proton transport.