Morphological evolution of atomically thin MoS2 flakes synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition strategy

Abstract

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) flakes with multifarious configurations, including dendritic flakes, three-point-star-like flakes, triangles with curved edges, equilateral triangles, truncated triangles, and hexagons, have been achieved via the chemical vapor deposition method. The detailed morphological, structural, and optical characteristics of these flakes have been systematically analyzed by optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and a Raman/PL system, demonstrating the single-layer nature of all MoS₂ samples. The evolution of the multifarious MoS₂ flakes is systematically discussed in terms of the variation of the concentration ratio of Mo : S by adjusting the growth temperature.