Surface Assembly Strategy for the Fabrication of MoS2 Thin-Film Patterns

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a novel material with remarkable properties that is widely investigated for future applications in electronics, sensors, and smart materials. In this respect, a low cost, easy process, large-area mass production process is needed to obtain diverse structures and surface patterns of MoS2. Here, we demonstrate an effective MoS2 patterning process using substrate surface modification that can solve the difficulties encountered in previous studies. This technique utilizes the sulfur vacancies introduced during chemical exfoliation of MoS2 flakes. The MoS2 patterning is performed via surface modification with thiol molecules on the substrate in pre-designed shapes. The thiol (-SH) group required to bond MoS2 to the surface-modified substrate using (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane was confirmed by FT-IR and the patterned MoS2 was confirmed by Raman shift. Through this process, a gas sensor was fabricated and its feasibility was confirmed to show its applicability to various applications MoS2.