Single-Layered MoS 2 Directly Grown on Rutile TiO 2 (110) for Enhanced Interfacial Charge Transfer

Interfacial charge transfer is critical for the photocatalytic activities of compositional photocatalysts. In this work, we have developed a strategy of growing single-layer MoS sheets on the rutile TiO (110) single-crystal surface using a chemical vapor deposition method. Both on-site and off-site characterizations confirmed the monolayer thickness and single crystallinity of the MoS adlayer as well as the atomic flatness of the composite surface. Without the presence of contamination, the charge flow across the interface of MoS and TiO is greatly enhanced, which hence favors the charge separation under excitations and boots up the catalytic activity of the composite system. Moreover, we found the luminescing property of MoS is significantly tailored upon coupling with the TiO surface. Our work has established a method for revealing the interface properties of the transition-metal dichalcogenides and oxide semiconductors at the atomic level.