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Emergence of photoluminescence on bulk MoS2 by laser thinning and gold particle decoration

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Abstract

We demonstrate a facile and effective approach to significantly improve the photoluminescence of bulk MoS2 via laser thinning followed by gold particle decoration. Upon laser thinning of exfoliated bulk MoS2, photoluminescence emerges from the laser-thinned region. After further treatment with an AuCl3 solution, gold particles self-assemble on the laser-thinned region and thick edges, further increasing the fluorescence of bulk MoS2 28 times and the Raman response 3 times. Such fluorescence enhancement can be attributed to both surface plasmon resonance and p-type doping induced by gold particles. The combination of laser thinning and AuCl3 treatment enables the functionalization of bulk MoS2 for optoelectronic applications. It can also provide a viable strategy for mask-free and area-selective p-type doping on single MoS2 flakes.

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Acknowledgements

L. L. G., K. E. J. G. and C. H. S. acknowledge financial support from A*STAR Grant No. 1527000016

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117542, Singapore

    Lili Gong, Qi Zhang, Liangjun Wang, Jianfeng Wu, Cheng Han, Bo Lei, Wei Chen, Goki Eda, Kuan Eng Johnson Goh & Chorng Haur Sow

  2. Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117542, Singapore

    Wei Chen & Goki Eda

  3. Centre for Advanced 2D Materials and Graphene Research Centre, National University of Singapore, 6 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117546, Singapore

    Wei Chen, Goki Eda & Chorng Haur Sow

  4. Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis, #08-03, Singapore, 138634, Singapore

    Kuan Eng Johnson Goh

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  1. Lili Gong
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Correspondence to Chorng Haur Sow.

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Gong, L., Zhang, Q., Wang, L. et al. Emergence of photoluminescence on bulk MoS2 by laser thinning and gold particle decoration. Nano Res. 11, 4574–4586 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-018-2037-5

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