Hybrid Material May Outperform Graphene in Several Applications
March 1, 2019 | Agência FAPESPEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Materials that are hybrid constructions (combining organic and inorganic precursors) and quasi-two-dimensional (with malleable and highly compactable molecular structures) are on the rise in several technological applications, such as the fabrication of ever-smaller optoelectronic devices.
Image Caption: A structure comprising a molybdenum disulfide monolayer on an azobenzene substrate could be used to build a highly compactable and malleable quasi-two-dimensional transistor powered by light (image: atomistic representations of molybdenum disulfide monolayer with an azobenzene molecule in its trans and cis isomers/ Physical Review B)
An article published in the journal Physical Review B describes a study in this field resulting from the doctoral research of Diana Meneses Gustin and Luís Cabral, both supervised by Victor Lopez Richard, a professor at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil. Cabral was cosupervised by Juarez Lopes Ferreira da Silva, a professor at the University of São Paulo’s São Carlos Chemistry Institute (IQSC-USP). Gustin was supported by FAPESP via a doctoral scholarship and a scholarship for a research internship abroad.
“Gustin and Cabral explain theoretically the unique optical and transport properties resulting from interaction between a molybdenum disulfide monolayer (inorganic substance MoS2) and a substrate of azobenzene (organic substance C12H10N2),” Lopez Richard told Agência FAPESP.
Illumination makes the azobenzene molecule switch isomerization and transition from a stable trans spatial configuration to a metastable cis form, producing effects on the electron cloud in the molybdenum disulfide monolayer. These effects, which are reversible, had previously been investigated experimentally by Emanuela Margapoti in postdoctoral research conducted at UFSCar and supported by FAPESP.
Gustin and Cabral developed a model to emulate the process theoretically. “They performed ab initio simulations (computational simulations using only established science) and calculations based on density functional theory (a quantum mechanical method used to investigate the dynamics of many-body systems). They also modeled the transport properties of the molybdenum disulfide monolayer when disturbed by variations in the azobenzene substrate,” Richard explained.
While the published paper does not address technological applications, the deployment of the effect to build a light-activated two-dimensional transistor is on the researchers’ horizon.
“The quasi two-dimensional structure makes molybdenum disulfide as attractive as graphene in terms of space reduction and malleability, but it has virtues that potentially make it even better. It’s a semiconductor with similar electrical conductivity properties to graphene’s and it’s more versatile optically because it emits light in the wavelength range from infrared to the visible region,” Richard said.
The hybrid molybdenum-disulfide-azobenzene structure is considered a highly promising material, but a great deal of research and development will be required if it is to be effectively deployed in useful devices.
Suggested Items
Foxconn Showcases Satellite Technology and Industry Ecosystem at TASTI 2024
12/03/2024 | FoxconnHon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) participated in the 2024 Taiwan Space International Annual Conference (TASTI 2024) being held November 30 - December 4, 2024, showcasing its latest advancements in low-orbit satellite communications and its commitment to building a robust satellite industry ecosystem.
QinetiQ US Awarded $42M Task Order to Support U.S. Army Advanced Sensor Processing and Imaging Technologies
12/02/2024 | QinetiQQinetiQ US has been awarded a four-year, $42 million task order to support the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) C5ISR Center's Research & Technology Integration (RTI) Directorate.
Hon Hai Research Institute, Yangming Jiaotong University Jointly Won the Future Technology Award
11/26/2024 | Hon Hai Technology GroupHon Hai Research Institute (HHRI), a subsidiary of Hon Hai Technology Group, the world’s largest technology manufacturing and service provider, joins hands with National Yang -Ming Chiao Tung University ( NYCU ) to break through space Computing Extreme stood out at the " 2024 Taiwan Innovation Technology Expo" and won the "Future Technology Award" for its innovative technology of "application of all-gallium arsenide super interface holography in structured light and stereoscopic vision".
SIA Applauds CHIPS Award for Semiconductor Research Corporation’s SMART USA Institute
11/21/2024 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) released the following statement from SIA President and CEO John Neuffer commending the announcement that the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Semiconductor Research Corporation Manufacturing Consortium Corporation (SRC) are entering negotiations for the Commerce Department to provide SRC $285 million to establish and operate the CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute for Digital Twins.
Gartner Forecasts MENA IT Spending to Grow 7.4% in 2025
11/20/2024 | Gartner, Inc.IT spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is projected to total $230.7 billion in 2025, an increase of 7.4% from 2024, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc.