Symposium EL19: Atomically-Thin 2D Materials and Heterostructures—Synthesis, Properties and Applications

Medini Padmanabhan, Rhode Island College

Potential, Scope and Limitations of Liquid Interface Assembly as a Technique for Synthesizing 2D Thin Films

Written by Mruganka Parasnis

Solution fabrication of large-area thin films with 2D materials is an active field of study. In the work of Medini Padmanabhan  and colleagues, natural graphite and MoS₂ flakes at a heptane-water interface spread out and arranged themselves as a thin film at the interface. The second step was transferred to a glass substrate. Two properties were combined: the light absorbing properties of MoS₂ and the high conductivity of graphite to make composite films that exhibit photoconductivity. The flakes arranged themselves in a single layer and resisted stacking. The conductivity of the film was correlated with its porosity. It was an effective technique for combining it into a single layer.