Researchers stitch defects into the world's thinnest semiconductor
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 - 15:20
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org) —In pioneering new research at Columbia University, scientists have grown high-quality crystals of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), the world's thinnest semiconductor, and studied how these crystals stitch together at the atomic scale to form continuous sheets. Through beautiful images of strikingly symmetric stars and triangles hundreds of microns across, they have uncovered key insights into the optical and electronic properties of this new material, which can be either conducting or insulating to form the basic "on-off switch" for all digital electronics. The study is published in the May 5, 2013, issue of Nature Materials.