Electrodeposited MoS2 nanostructured thin film: surface structural probing and photoelectrochemical characterization

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-4697949/v1

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Electrodeposited MoS2 nanostructured thin film: surface structural probing and photoelectrochemical characterization

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4697949/v1

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Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) has advantageous traits and characteristics that make it suitable for a diverse array of practical applications, such as optoelectronics and gas sensing. Enhancing the surface area of the adsorbent leads to a proportional increase in its performance. Hence, the synthesized two-electrode electrodeposited MoS₂ (ED-MoS₂) thin films were microstructurally characterized to investigate its surface modulation for suitable enhancement in its applicative properties. The characterization shows that the surface properties of the deposited film can easily be modulated to favor its needs and can be done by simply varying its electrodeposition parameters, such as growth period and voltage supplied. In addition, persistent n-type conductivity of intrinsic MoS₂ makes it challenging to achieve p-type conductivity. By simply varying the cathodic potential, the challenge of obtaining p-type MoS₂ thin films was solved. The photoelectrochemical cell measurements revealed that lower cathodic potentials (1.15 V – 1.35 V) favored the growth of p-type MoS₂ layers while the growth of n-type MoS layers was achieved at the higher cathodic potential.

Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed matter physics/Surfaces interfaces and thin films

Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed matter physics

Physical sciences/Materials science/Soft materials

Electrodeposition

Deposition potential

growth period

microstructure

photoelectrochemical

Molybdenum disulfide

As the world increasingly focuses on portable, flexible, and wearable electronic devices, researchers have been seeking an alternative material to replace bulky semiconducting materials (Li et al., 2019) with those at the best minimum miniaturization level. However, this search has become more uneasy, as many of these materials face challenges in achieving quantum confinement effects at the nanoscale level (Alfieri et al., 2023 and Berends et al., 2017). Graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide materials have been the focus of many researchers with a view to addressing these issues. Of recent, one of these materials currently receiving a great deal of attention is molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). Monolayer MoS₂ is a semiconductor with a direct bandgap, strong photoluminescence in the visible spectrum, high optical transparency, low dissipation rate, and broad light absorption capabilities (Li et al., 2020 and Farooqui et al., 2018). Hence, 2D-MoS₂ thin films are increasingly employed in optoelectronic applications (Pu and Takenobu, 2018). In addition, the need for faster response and smaller optoelectronic devices has driven the demand for high-quality monolayer MoS₂ and a thorough exploration of its inherent properties, to advance technology (Alam et al., 2021 and Singh et al., 2018). Understanding the impact of intrinsic defects on the properties of MoS₂ is now essential for future research in optoelectronic applications (Abidi et al., 2024 and Zheng et al., 2021). MoS₂ has a strong intra-covalent bond (X-M-X), an exceptional prospect for developing high-quality and atomically precise heterostructures (Wu et al., 2021). To achieve optimum exploitation of these interesting properties, tailoring the microstructural properties of the output material to enable the best suitability for desired applications needs to be given utmost priority. Hence, careful selection of effective synthesis processes and protocols has to be implemented. In addition, to obtain a more profound comprehension of the intrinsic qualities of monolayer MoS₂, careful control of MoS₂ physical features at the synthesis level and a detailed study of its unique attributes are needed. Furthermore, since weak Van der Waals interactions bind the layers of this material together (Latini et al., 2017), this distinctive arrangement enables the extraction of individual atomic layers from the bulk, enabling quantum confinement theory which is a crucial prerequisite for the advancement of significant electronic and optical devices (Pal et al., 2023 and Lin et al., 2019). Several studies have been conducted to improve the properties of MoS₂ through various methods, including Van der Waal modeling (Ramos et al., 2022 and Sorkin et al., 2022), solution-based techniques (Bertolazzi et al., 2018 and Cheng et al., 2015), and doping (Suh et al., 2018 and Li et al., 2020), among others. Interestingly, chemical synthesis techniques are commonly employed to create consistent and superior single-layer MoS₂. However, MoS₂ crystals formed at high temperatures inevitably possess inherent S vacancies (Zhang et al., 2023). In this study, we have employed a cost-effective solution growth technique involving an electrochemical deposition route, encompassing two electrode cells and a connecting set-up with the flow of electricity. Electrodeposition is significant because it offers several benefits, including cost-effectiveness, low-temperature growth, control of film thickness by adjusting deposition time and potential, self-purification of the electrolytic bath, long-term stability, and the capability to modify the bandgap (Dharmadasa et al., 2006). It has been discovered that the atomic percentage composition of the elements in the electrodeposited layer is significantly influenced by the deposition voltage. This parameter influences the kind of conductivity and the development of stoichiometric thin coatings with high substrate adherence, (Ojo et al., 2017). Therefore, studies on MoS₂ applications must fully understand the effects of inherent defects on MoS₂'s properties both with and without a dopant. In this study, therefore, we considered the distinctive microstructural characteristics of two-electrode electrodeposited MoS₂ monolayers by deposition potential and time variations with the aid of some microstructural probing tools. Additionally, we investigated the influence of variations in electrodeposition conditions (voltage and time) on some intrinsic nature of the materials through photoelectrochemistry. This study investigated possible modifications on the microstructural and photoconductivity type properties of MoS₂ via tuning of the physicochemical features through simple adjustment in two-electrode electrodeposition parameters. It also unveiled the materials’ useful features as photoelectrode for optoelectronic applications.

2.1 Materials and synthesis of MoS₂ thin film

The study employed some chemicals reagents in preparing the electrolyte for the electrodeposition of MoS₂ thin films. These have been listed recently and accordingly in our previous study (Ajayeoba et. al., 2024). There was no further purification performed on any of the reagents. Cathodic electrodeposition of the film samples was carried out using a two-electrode electrochemical cell on glass/fluorine-doped tin oxide (glass/FTO) with sheet resistances of 7 Ω that were bought from Lumtec Incorporation. The two electrodes encompass graphite plate and FTO/glass as counter and working electrodes, respectively. Prior to the deposition of the films the FTO/glass was ultrasonically cleaned successively in a bath solution containing soapy water, acetone, and deionized water. The experiment was carried out in electrolyte of adjusted pH of 5. Five distinct MoS₂ film samples were prepared at various deposition voltages ranging from 1.15 to 1.55 V after a uniform duration of 10 min. Another set of MoS₂ film samples were obtained under this same electrolytic condition but was grown at constant potential 1.45 V for different deposition durations from 10 to 40 min.

2.2 Heat treatment and microstructural characteristic measurements

All the films that were produced using different deposition voltages and times were dried in an open hot plate at 100 ^oC. To improve the films' crystallinity, they undergo additional heat treatment in a furnace set at a constant 200 ^oC. The morphological, elemental composition, surface roughness, structural and thin film quality of the resulting film samples were examined. The surface morphology and elemental properties of the formed films were investigated using energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy fitted Zeiss-Plus field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). An optical atomic force microscopy (AFM) programmed confocal Witec − 300 RAS + FT micro-Raman system, which employs a laser with a 532 nm wavelength and a 5 mW power rating for the assessment of films' surface roughness. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to infer the structural details of the electrodeposited MoS₂ thin film. This was done with a Cu-Kα radiation source (λ = 0.15406 nm) operating at 50 kV and 30 mA, and an XPERT-PRO diffractometer (PANalytical BV, Netherlands) with reflection geometry ranging from 2θ values of 2 to 70° with a step size of 0.01°.

2.3. Photoelectrochemical measurements of the film

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) studies were measured on the deposited films by creating an electrolytic junction between the substrate with active film and the electrolyte under darkness and illumination. This was done to determine each semiconducting layer’s electrical conductivity type. The electrolyte/electrodeposited ED-MoS₂ junction open circuit voltage was measured to determine the electrical conduction type of ED-MoS₂ layers. The glass/FTO/MoS₂ was used as the semiconducting electrode while a carbon rod served as the counter electrode. The electrolyte used was an aqueous solution prepared from 0.1 M of sodium thiosulphate. Band bending occurs at the solid/liquid interface when the glass/FTO/MoS₂ layer is immersed in the electrolyte. The difference between the interface's dark and illuminated voltages indicates the PEC cell signal. A positive value indicates a p-type material while a negative value indicates an n-type material. The PEC cell system is easy to calibrate with known materials to verify results.

3.1 Elemental and morphological studies

In accordance with the information revealed from the EDX spectrum of the deposited MoS₂ film, displayed in Fig. 1, all the characteristic elements attributable to the formation of solution grown MoS₂ thin film on the FTO substrate are revealed.

Figures 2(a-e) and 3(a-d) show the surface view of MoS₂ thin film layers at different deposition voltages and times respectively. The figures show MoS₂ monolayer particles tightly bonded to the FTO substrate. The images show that these layers' particles grew anisotropically with sub-micrometer sizes, a homogenous distribution, and wide surface area over the substrates at cathodic deposition potentials 1.15 V–1.35 V. Since the primary components responsible physical adsorption are the characteristics of the substances involved, the forces exerted on the contact, and the interaction among the molecules being adsorbed. Hence the tuning of the deposition parameters may cause alterations in the film’s surface structure, leading to corresponding changes in adsorption characteristics. This structure possesses these characteristics since it has the varying surface area-to-volume ratio observable via visual inspection and because of variations in the deposition conditions. This feature suggests the films’ potentials for enhanced photon absorption and charge transport, suggesting its viability for tunable optoelectronic performance (Ramakrishnan et al., 2023 and Zha et al., 2022). According to Aljamali et al. (2021) and Wu et al. (2020) in physisorption, Van der Waals forces govern the molecular interactions between adsorbate and adsorbent molecules. As deposition voltage increases, it can be observed from the micrographs that the tendency of physical adsorption decreases rapidly. In addition, particles suspected to be MoO_x are also observed, revealing that, MoS₂ becomes oxidized due to possible chemisorption of oxygen on sulfur vacancy, which is always attributable to solution growth techniques in the deposition of non-oxide nanostructured compound. This featured is also well confirmed from the EDX spectrum’s oxygen features as presented in Fig. 1. At 30 and 40 min, deposition times (Fig. 3(c and d)), a typical as-grown MoS₂ monolayer was formed, but cracks were also visibly observed. The observable features from the SEM images, as observed in the variation in growth conditions, suggest that deposition conditions can be adjusted to tailor film surface properties (Taleatu et al., 2018), changing the growth period. Potential can control the particle sizes of the deposited MoS₂ film, as the sizes increased between 26.25 and 30.12 nm for both deposition conditions as measured with the aid of the image J software package. These properties also support the electrodeposition technique's easy film shape and size control (Gurrappa et al., 2008).

3.2 AFM Topographic Study

Figure 4 and Fig. 5 depict the topographic surface roughness of the deposited MoS₂ thin film deduced with the aid of AFM images as presented accordingly. The topography of the deposited film was found to significantly change coupled with surface roughness increase at higher deposition potentials. No significant changes were observed in the film’s topography at varying deposition times, but the surface roughness increased slightly with time. The results show that changing MoS₂ electrodeposition conditions can modulate the film’s texture properties through simple adjustment in the sample’s surface roughness. The samples grown at low deposition potential and time showed fewer agglomerations and porosities than those grown at higher deposition voltage and periods. These features reaffirm that the growth rate, surface roughness, and orientation of MoS₂ agglomerates can be tailored by simply varying deposition parameters (Belhadj et al., 2021)

3.3 XRD structural study

The XRD pattern was obtained by scanning the annealed MoS₂ sample and is presented in Fig. 6. Notably, the pattern revealed characteristic diffraction peaks observed at the Bragg’s diffracting angles at 2θ = 27.38^o, 38.7^o, 52.07^o, 61.9^o and 66.1^o, corresponding to reflections from planes (0 0 4), (1 0 3), (1 0 5), (1 0 7) and (1 1 4), respectively. The observable featured reaffirm successful growth of particulate hexagonal MoS₂ structure with lattice constants a = b = 3.15 Ǻ, c = 12.29 Ǻ, and according to JCPDS card number 87-2416 (Hussain et al., 2020). The well distinct characteristic peaks as revealed from the pattern also indicate the film possess compact crystalline layer. The full width at half maximum ($\:\beta\:$) of each of the peaks was estimated and employed to estimate the film’s crystalline sizes (D) and in accordance with Scherrer’s relation in Eq. (1) (Taleatu et al., 2018).

$$\:D=\:\frac{0.94\lambda\:}{\beta\:cos\theta\:\:},$$

where 𝜆 is the wavelength (λ = 0.15406 nm for CuK𝛼 radiation) and θ is the diffracting angle. The material’s dislocation density ($\:\delta\:$) with respect to each of the Bragg’s reflections was also calculated using relation in Eq. (2).

$$\:\delta\:=\frac{1}{{D}^{2}}$$

The suspected residual strain ($\:\epsilon\:$) which could have been generated as a result of the amalgamation of the film with the substrate layer through their different responses to the annealing temperature, were also calculated accordingly, and with respect to the modified Scherrer’s model illustrated in Eq. (3) (Adewinbi et. al., 2021).

$$\:\epsilon\:=\frac{\beta\:cos\theta\:}{4}$$

The resulting data are computed and shown in Table 1.

Summarily, the average grain size of the electrodeposited MoS₂ thin film is estimated as 48.43 nm and with mean strain, 7.92 x 10^− 3, induced.

Table 1

XRD Bragg’s diffraction structural parameters of the electrodeposited MoS₂ thin film
S/n	Bragg’s angle (deg.)	Miller Indices (h k l)	$\:\varvec{\beta\:}$ x 10^− 3	Crystal Size (nm)	Dislocation density (lines/nm²)	Residual strain x 10^− 3
1.	27.38	(0 0 4)	3.67	48.78	4.24 x 10^− 4	8.89
2.	38.70	(1 0 3)	2.98	51.66	3.75 x 10^− 4	7.00
3.	52.07	(1 0 5)	3.36	48.49	4.25 x 10^− 4	7.56
4.	61.90	(1 0 7)	4.14	40.73	6.03 x 10^− 4	9.01
5.	66.10	(1 1 4)	3.29	52.47	3.63 x 10^− 4	7.18

3.4 Photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) study

The plots in Fig. 7(a and b) show the PEC measurement depending on deposition conditions. The negative PEC signal indicates the material's n-type conductivity, while the positive signal indicates its p-type semiconductor properties. The figures show that MoS₂ thin films deposited at cathodic potentials of 1.15–1.35 V have p-type properties, and beyond this voltage range (1.45–1.55 V), the material becomes n-type in electrical conduction. However, the materials retain their p-type electrical conductivity for MoS₂ films grown at a constant cathodic potential of 1.35 V and different growth durations; this is illustrated in Fig. 7(b). Electroplating semiconductors begin with the nucleation of the most electropositive element on conducting substrates with the strongest electric fields. Thus, semiconductor nucleation and modes depend on the conductive substrate, due to the roughness of the working electrode, such as glass/FTO. It should be noted that the peak of the rough surfaces has the highest electric field (Dharmadasa et al., 2014). Adsorption occurs when a substrate builds up at the phase boundary without a three-dimensional crystal structure. Weak Van der Waals forces attract the adsorbate to the adsorbent. Adsorbent and adsorbate surfaces form chemical bonds in chemisorption. (Wang et al., 2020, Dong et al., 2019 and Cha et al., 2018) As deposition voltage rises, physical adsorption drops quickly. It was found that low deposition potential favors physical adsorption and contrarily, high deposition potential favors chemical adsorption. At low deposition voltages, sulfur which is more reactive than molybdenum physisorbed on the adsorbent, producing a p-type conduction material. As the cathodic voltage increases, sulfur vacancy occurs, and this produces n-type MoS₂ semiconductor material. In the same vein, within this potential range, there is the possibility of oxygen to chemisorb on the active site created by sulfur vacancy to form molybdenum oxide. As seen in this work, the deposition potential can be varied to change the conductivity type of this film.

Defect engineering in 2D MoS₂ allows for tailoring its electronic, optical, and mechanical performance (Sorkin et al., 2022 and Han et al., 2021). Theoretical and experimental results on MoS₂ and some compounds match the PEC results. PEC cell measurement was also used to calculate each layer's resistance; this is plotted against deposition voltage and time as illustrated in Figs. 7(c) and 7(d) respectively. The plots show that the resistance of the deposited material is non-linearly dependent on growth conditions, indicating that deposition parameters affect film conductivity.

In this study, we have investigated the microstructural properties of electrodeposited MoS₂ thin film on conductive FTO substrate. The adoption of two-electrode cells was employed for the films’ electrodeposition. The microstructural investigation of the deposited MoS₂ thin film showed that the structures are well dispersed with high crystallinity and lattice organization and exhibit little or no distortion with the varying deposition parameters. The study unveiled the possible modulation of some surface and photoelectrochemical intrinsic properties of the electrodeposited film through simple variation of some deposition parameters such as voltage supplied and the period of growth, to suit its functional demands and without creating any significant threat to the surface of the thin film. The physical and chemical adsorption strengths were also found adjustable with the aid of the variations in the deposition conditions, implying variable effects on the materials' intrinsic conductivity types (n- or p-type).

Credit authorship contribution statement

Yetunde A. Ajayeoba: Writing – original draft, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Saheed A. Adewinbi: Visualization, Resources, Methodology, Data curation. Olusola Akinrinola: Visualization, Resources, Methodology, Data curation. Olajide Ibukun-Olu Olusola: Supervision, Project administration, Methodology. Akinlolu Akande: Visualization, Resources, Methodology, Funding acquisition. Ayodeji O. Awodugba: Writing – original draft, Supervision, Resources, Methodology, Data curation.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Data availability

Data will be made available on request by Yetunde A. Ajayeoba ([email protected]).

Acknowledgements

The financial support of the Tertiary Trust Fund under the Academic Staff Training and Development for funding this research is gratefully acknowledged. Yetunde A. Ajayeoba is thankful to Prof. Ayodeji O. Awodugba of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomosho Ogbomosho, Oyo State. Nigeria for his supervision and technical support on the studies. She also gratefully acknowledges Prof. Suresh C Pillai of the Atlantic Technological University, ATU Sligo, Ireland for accessibility to ATU research facilities.

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No competing interests reported.

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You are reading this latest preprint version

Electrodeposited MoS2 nanostructured thin film: surface structural probing and photoelectrochemical characterization

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Version 1

Abstract

Figures

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Experimental Methods

2.1 Materials and synthesis of MoS₂ thin film

2.2 Heat treatment and microstructural characteristic measurements

2.3. Photoelectrochemical measurements of the film

3.0 Results and Discussion

3.1 Elemental and morphological studies

3.2 AFM Topographic Study

3.3 XRD structural study

3.4 Photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) study

4.0 Conclusions

Declarations

References

Additional Declarations

Status:

Version 1

Electrodeposited MoS2 nanostructured thin film: surface structural probing and photoelectrochemical characterization

Status:

Version 1

Abstract

Figures

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Experimental Methods

2.1 Materials and synthesis of MoS2 thin film

2.2 Heat treatment and microstructural characteristic measurements

2.3. Photoelectrochemical measurements of the film

3.0 Results and Discussion

3.1 Elemental and morphological studies

3.2 AFM Topographic Study

3.3 XRD structural study

3.4 Photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) study

4.0 Conclusions

Declarations

References

Additional Declarations

Status:

Version 1

2.1 Materials and synthesis of MoS₂ thin film