New wonder material set to rival graphene?

According to the team from the University of Southampton's Optoelectronics Research Centre, molybdenum di-sulphide (MoS2) shares many of graphene's favourable properties, including excellent electrical conductivity and mechanical stability. However, unlike graphene, it is made from metal (in this case molybdenum combined with sulphur). This means that it is able to emit light, paving the way for applications such as high performance photodetectors and next generation light emitting devices. Until recently, fabrication of this new class of thin metal/sulphide materials, known as transition metal di-chalcogenides, has been difficult. This is because most techniques produce only flakes, typically just a few hundred square microns in area. Dr Kevin Huang, who led the research, explained: "We have been working on the synthesis of chalcogenide materials using a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process since 2001 and our technology has now achieved the fabrication of large area (>1000 mm2) ultra thin films only a few atoms thick. "Being able to manufacture sheets of MoS2 and related materials, rather than just microscopic flakes, as previously was the case, greatly expands their promise for nanoelectronic and optoelectronic applications." Dr Huang and his team are currently working with several UK companies and universities, as well as leading international centres at MIT and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), to develop the technology further. He concluded: "Our ability to not only synthesise large uniform thin films but also to transfer these films to virtually any substrate has led to increased demand for our materials. We welcome enquiries from universities and industry who wish to collaborate with us."