One-Step Synthesis of MoS2/WS2 Layered Heterostructures and Catalytic Activity of Defective Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Films

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are a promising class of two-dimensional (2D) materials for use in applications such as 2D electronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis. Due to the van der Waals (vdW) bonding between layers, vdW heterostructures can be constructed between two different species of TMDCs. Most studies employ exfoliation or co-vapor growth schemes, which are limited by the small size and uneven distribution of heterostructures on the growth substrate. In this work we demonstrate a one-step synthesis procedure for large-area vdW heterostructures between horizontal TMDCs MoS2 and WS2. The synthesis procedure is scalable and provides patterning ability, which is critical for electronic applications in integrated circuits. We demonstrate rectification characteristics of large-area MoS2/WS2 stacks. In addition, hydrogen evolution reaction performance was measured in these horizontal MoS2 and WS2 thin films, which indicate that, in addition to the catalytically active sulfur edge sites, defect sites may serve as catalyst sites.