Growth of highly conducting MoS(2-x)N(x) thin films with enhanced 1T' phase by pulsed laser deposition and exploration of their nanogenerator application

High-quality growth of MoS(2-x)N(x) films is realized on single-crystal c-Al(2)O(3) substrates by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in ammonia rendering highly stable and tunable 1Tʹ/2H biphasic constitution. Raman spectroscopy reveals systematic enhancement of 1Tʹ phase component due to the incorporation of covalently bonded N-doping in MoS(2) lattice, inducing compressive strain. Interestingly, the film deposited at 300 mTorr NH(3) shows ∼80% 1Tʹ phase. The transport measurements performed on MoS(2-x)N(x) films deposited at 300 mTorr NH(3) display very low room temperature resistivity of 0.03 mΩ-cm which is 100 times enhanced over the undoped MoS(2) grown under comparable conditions. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) device containing biphasic MoS(2-x)N(x) film as an electron acceptor exhibits a clear enhancement in the output voltage as compared to the pristine MoS(2). Device architecture, p-type N doping in MoS(2) lattice, favorably increased work-function, multiphasic component of MoS(2), and increased surface roughness synergistically contribute to superior TENG performance.