Low-Temperature Synthesis Strategy for MoS2 Slabs Supported on TiO2(110)

Abstract

MoS2 supported on oxides like TiO2 has a broad range of applications. The atomic structure of this system is therefore very useful to study. Previous research work in this area has made use of high-temperature synthesis methods, while the preparation of an MoS2/TiO2 in very important applications, such as catalysis, makes use of a low-temperature synthesis method. In this work, we investigate a low-temperature synthesis strategy for MoS2 slabs supported on rutile TiO2(110). Using scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we demonstrate that not only flat MoS2 slabs with irregular shapes but also MoSx stripes with a large number of coordinatively unsaturated Mo atoms are formed. In particular, it becomes evident that, for atomic structural characterization of MoS2/TiO2 and similar oxide-supported systems grown by low-temperature synthesis methods, the surface structure of the support becomes highly relevant.