Due to its high carrier mobility, broadband absorption, and fast response time, the semi-metallic graphene is attractive for optoelectronics. Another two-dimensional semiconducting material molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is also known as light- sensitive. Here we show that a large-area and continuous MoS₂ monolayer is achievable using a CVD method and graphene is transferable onto MoS₂. We demonstrate that a photodetector based on the graphene/MoS₂ heterostructure is able to provide a high photogain greater than 10⁸. Our experiments show that the electron-hole pairs are produced in the MoS₂ layer after light absorption and subsequently separated across the layers. Contradictory to the expectation based on the conventional built-in electric field model for metal-semiconductor contacts, photoelectrons are injected into the graphene layer rather than trapped in MoS₂ due to the presence of a perpendicular effective electric field caused by the combination of the built-in electric field, the applied electrostatic field, and charged impurities or adsorbates, resulting in a tuneable photoresponsivity.

Atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) layers have attracted great interest due to their direct-gap property and potential applications in optoelectronics and energy harvesting. Meanwhile, they are extremely bendable, promising for applications in flexible electronics. However, the synthetic approach to obtain large-area MoS₂ atomic thin layers is still lacking. Here we report that wafer-scale MoS₂ thin layers can be obtained using MoO₃ thin films as a starting material followed by a two-step thermal process, reduction of MoO₃ at 500 °C in hydrogen and sulfurization at 1000 °C in the presence of sulfur. Spectroscopic, optical and electrical characterizations reveal that these films are polycrystalline and with semiconductor properties. The obtained MoS₂ films are uniform in thickness and easily transferable to arbitrary substrates, which make such films suitable for flexible electronics or optoelectronics.

The development of modern cutting-edge technology relies heavily on the huge success and advancement of nanotechnology, in which nanomaterials and nanostructures provide the indispensable material cornerstone. Owing to their nanoscale dimensions with possible quantum limit, nanomaterials and nanostructures possess a high surface-to-volume ratio, rich surface/interface effects, and distinct physical and chemical properties compared with their bulk counterparts, leading to the remarkably expanded horizons of their applications. Depending on their degree of spatial quantization, low-dimensional nanomaterials are generally categorized into nanoparticles (0D); nanorods, nanowires, and nanobelts (1D); and atomically thin layered materials (2D). This review article provides a comprehensive guide to low-dimensional nanomaterials and nanostructures. It begins with the classification of nanomaterials, followed by an inclusive account of nanofabrication and characterization. Both top-down and bottom-up fabrication approaches are discussed in detail. Next, various significant applications of low-dimensional nanomaterials are discussed, such as photonics, sensors, catalysis, energy storage, diverse coatings, and various bioapplications. This article would serve as a quick and facile guide for scientists and engineers working in the field of nanotechnology and nanomaterials.

This work proposes a novel approach to modulate the nucleation and growth of perovskite crystals in planar perovskite (CH₃NH₃PbI_3−xCl_x) solar cells by intermixing precursor-capped inorganic nanoparticles of PbS. A small amount of dispersed PbS nanoparticles which were covered with perovskite precursor molecules of methylammonium iodide (CH₃NH₃I, MAI) through the ligand-exchange treatment functioned as effective seed-like nucleation sites to promote the formation of perovskite lattice structures. Through this intermixing-seeded growth technique, substantial morphological improvements, such as increased crystal domains, enhanced coverage, and uniformity, were realized in the perovskite thin films, and the corresponding solar cell devices exhibited a promising power conversion efficiency of 17.4%, showing an enhancement of approximately 25% compared to that of the controlled pristine solar cell device. The substantially enhanced crystal orientation, particularly along the direction perpendicular to the substrate, was evident from the synchrotron-based grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering data. This observation was consistent with the enhanced carrier diffusion lengths and excellent reproducibility of high fill factors of the planar heterojunction perovskite devices fabricated through the proposed technique.