Direct Transformation of Crystalline MoO(3) into Few-Layers MoS(2)

We fabricated large-area atomically thin MoS(2) layers through the direct transformation of crystalline molybdenum trioxide (MoO(3)) by sulfurization at relatively low temperatures. The obtained MoS(2) sheets are polycrystalline (~10–20 nm single-crystal domain size) with areas of up to 300 × 300 µm(2), 2–4 layers in thickness and show a marked p-type behavior. The synthesized films are characterized by a combination of complementary techniques: Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and electronic transport measurements.