Effect of interface on mid-infrared photothermal response of MoS2 thin film grown by pulsed laser deposition

This study reports on the mid-infrared （mid-IR） photothermal response of multilayer MoS2 thin films grown on crystalline （p-type silicon and c-axis- oriented single crystal sapphire） and amorphous （Si/SiO2 and Si/SiN） substrates by pulsed laser deposition （PLD）. The photothermal response of the MoS2 films is measured as the changes in the resistance of the MoS2 films when irradiated with a mid-IR （7 to 8.2 μm） source. We show that enhancing the temperature coefficient of resistance （TCR） of the MoS2 thin films is possible by controlling the film-substrate interface through a proper choice of substrate and growth conditions. The thin films grown by PLD are characterized using X-ray diffraction, Raman, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM） images show that the MoS2 films grow on sapphire substrates in a layer-by-layer manner with misfit dislocations. The layer growth morphology is disrupted when the films are grown on substrates with a diamond cubic structure （e.g., silicon） because of twin growth formation. The growth morphology on amorphous substrates, such as Si/SiO2 or Si/SiN, is very different. The PLD-grown MoS2 films on silicon show higher TCR （-2.9% K^-1 at 296 K）, higher mid-IR sensitivity （△R/R = 5.2%）, and higher responsivity （8.7 V·W^-1） compared to both the PLD-grown films on other substrates and the mechanically exfoliated MoS2 flakes transferred to different substrates.

In-situ probing of thermal desorption of vapor molecules on a nanowire via work function variance

Nanowire sensors based on variations of their electrical properties show great potential for real-time, in situ monitoring of molecular adsorption and desorption. Although the molecular adsorption-induced change in the electronic work function is very sensitive, it does not have any specificity. However, the temperature dependency of the adsorption-induced work function variation can provide limited selectivity based on the desorption temperature. In this study, we report the in situ probing of molecular desorption by monitoring the work function variations of a single Pt nanowire as a function of temperature. The work function of a clean Pt nanowire shows a significant variation due to vapor adsorption at room temperature. Increasing the temperature of the nanowire results in a variation of the work function due to molecular desorption. Experimentally measured differential work function as a function of temperature shows desorption peaks at 36 and 44 ℃ for methanol and ethanol molecules respectively. Adsorption-induced variation of the Pt nanowire work function was further confirmed using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy before and after exposure to methanol vapor. These results show that the molecular adsorption/desorption-induced variation of the work function and its temperature dependency can be used for developing nanoscale electro-calorimetric sensors.