Direct transformation of crystalline MoO3 into few-layers MoS2

We fabricated large-area atomically thin MoS2 layers through the direct transformation of crystalline molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) by sulfurization at relatively low temperatures. The obtained MoS2 sheets are polycrystalline (~10–20 nm single-crystal domain size) with areas of up to 300 × 300 µm2, 2–4 layers in thickness and show a marked p-type behavior. The synthesized films are characterized by a combination of complementary techniques: Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and electronic transport measurements.