Locally-enhanced optical properties in a hybrid organic/inorganic (coronene/MoS2) Van der Waals heterostructure

Hybrid organic/inorganic Van der Waals heterostructures have emerged recently with enormous potential applications in nanotechnology and industrial areas. In these heterostructures, the interfacial effects can modulate the final properties, creating further possibilities in the design and operation of innovative devices. With this perspective in mind, we report on an experimental investigation of a hybrid organic/inorganic heterostructure of coronene and a few-layers MoS2. We observe a local enhancement of MoS2 optical properties using both far-field and near-field Raman scattering and photoluminescence. Mainly located at MoS2 edges and defects, the local enhancement is due to the assembling of coronene molecules in MoS2, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Quantum semi-empirical and fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were also used to gain further insights into these phenomena. Our results pave the way to engineer molecules in two-dimensional (2D) layered nanomaterials and control and modulate optical phenomena.

Automated summary

Hybrid organic/inorganic Van der Waals heterostructures have great potential applications in nanotechnology and industry. The interfacial effects in these heterostructures can modulate the final properties and open up possibilities for innovative device design and operation. This study investigates a hybrid organic/inorganic heterostructure of coronene and few-layers MoS2, and reveals localized enhancement of MoS2 optical properties at the edges and defects due to the assembling of coronene molecules in MoS2. The results provide insights for engineering molecules in two-dimensional nanomaterials and controlling optical phenomena.