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

Abstract 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.