Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is one of the most important two-dimensional materials after graphene. Monolayer MoS₂ has a direct bandgap (1.9 eV) and is potentially suitable for post-silicon electronics. Among all atomically thin semiconductors, MoS₂’s synthesis techniques are more developed. Here, we review the recent developments in the synthesis of hexagonal MoS₂, where they are categorized into top-down and bottom-up approaches. Micromechanical exfoliation is convenient for beginners and basic research. Liquid phase exfoliation and solutions for chemical processes are cheap and suitable for large-scale production; yielding materials mostly in powders with different shapes, sizes and layer numbers. MoS₂ films on a substrate targeting high-end nanoelectronic applications can be produced by chemical vapor deposition, compatible with the semiconductor industry. Usually, metal catalysts are unnecessary. Unlike graphene, the transfer of atomic layers is omitted. We especially emphasize the recent advances in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and atomic layer deposition, where gaseous precursors are used. These processes grow MoS₂ with the smallest building-blocks, naturally promising higher quality and controllability. Most likely, this will be an important direction in the field. Nevertheless, today none of those methods reproducibly produces MoS₂ with competitive quality. There is a long way to go for MoS₂ in real-life electronic device applications.

The von Neumann architecture with separate memory and processing presents a serious challenge in terms of device integration, power consumption, and real-time information processing. Inspired by the human brain that has highly parallel computing and adaptive learning capabilities, memtransistors are proposed to be developed in order to meet the requirement of artificial intelligence, which can continuously sense the objects, store and process the complex signal, and demonstrate an “all-in-one” low power array. The channel materials of memtransistors include a range of materials, such as two-dimensional (2D) materials, graphene, black phosphorus (BP), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO). Ferroelectric materials such as P(VDF-TrFE), chalcogenide (PZT), Hf_xZr_1−xO₂(HZO), In₂Se₃, and the electrolyte ion are used as the gate dielectric to mediate artificial synapses. In this review, emergent technology using memtransistors with different materials, diverse device fabrications to improve the integrated storage, and the calculation performance are demonstrated. The different neuromorphic behaviors and the corresponding mechanisms in various materials including organic materials and semiconductor materials are analyzed. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives for the development of memtransistors in neuromorphic system applications are presented.