Recent progress in the synthesis and physical properties of 2D ternary TMDC-based vertical heterostructures

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) vertical heterostructures (HSs) constructed by two vertically stacked layers of binary transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) had been widely researched during the past decade. However, it is still a huge challenge to achieve controllable synthesis of 2D ternary TMDC-based van der Waals (vdW) HSs, which have a significant impact on physical characteristics and device performance. In this review, we will introduce the fundamental characteristics and multifarious preparation strategies of various 2D ternary TMDC-based vdW HSs. Then, this highlight mainly introduces three fabrication strategies of 2D ternary TMDC-based vdW HSs, such as exfoliation, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and combination method. The latest progress in vdW HS-related novel physical characteristics is summarized, including composition-dependent intralayer/interlayer excitons, stacking-order-dependent photoluminescence (PL) emission, long photocarrier lifetimes, improved electrical properties, and enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic activity. Finally, current challenges and prospects in this research field are clarified.