Ion beam-induced hydroxylation controls molybdenum disulfide growth

2D materials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, are a promising class of nanomaterials for next generation electronics, photovoltaics, electrocatalysts, sensors, and optoelectronic devices. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is of particular interest due to its direct bandgap in the visible spectrum, high electron mobility, and chemical stability. Here, we demonstrate that alterations in the density of surface hydroxyl groups on silicon dioxide substrates can control nucleation and growth in molybdenum disulfide thin films produced by atmospheric-pressure chemical vapor deposition. The extent of MoS2 nucleation is linearly correlated to the density of surface hydroxyl groups. Controlling the density of surface hydroxyl groups on the initial substrate provides a method of growing patterned molybdenum disulfide. Furthermore, we establish that the surface density of hydroxyl groups on silicon dioxide (SiO2) is altered using conventional gallium focused ion beam (FIB) patterning. Upon gallium-ion beam exposure, the number of hydroxyl groups generated on the surface is directly proportional to the ion dosage. This work establishes a means of patterning large-area monolayer MoS2 on silicon dioxide substrates, which is a critical step for realizing applications in imaging, catalysis, biosensing, chemical detection, electronics and optoelectronics.