Thickness-insensitive properties of α-MoO3 nanosheets by weak interlayer coupling

The latest news on molybdenum oxide (MoO3) brings exciting developments in the field of 2D materials. Researchers at Seoul National University have made significant progress by employing the van der Waals (vdW) epitaxial growth method to create orthorhombic molybdenum oxide (α-MoO3) nanosheets on a graphene substrate12.

Here are the key findings:

1. Scalable Growth: The team successfully achieved scalable growth of α-MoO3 nanosheets, overcoming lattice-mismatch strain and substrate clamping challenges.

2. Thickness-Insensitive Properties: Even when the MoO3 nanosheets were thicker than 2 to 3 layers (approximately 1.4 to 2.1 nm), they retained bulk-like structural and electrical

 properties.

3. Unique Friction Behavior: The thickness-sensitivity of friction was remarkably small compared to other hexagonal 2D materials.

4. Consistent Properties: Work function, dielectric constant, and electronic band structure remained invariant regardless of the nanosheet thickness.

5. Promising Dielectric Material: MoO3 nanosheets exhibited a large current gap and high dielectric constant, making them promising candidates for 2D dielectric materials.

This groundbreaking research opens up new possibilities for applications in UV-related optoelectronic devices, power electronics, and dielectric layers. The study, titled “Thickness-insensitive properties of α-MoO3 nanosheets by weak interlayer coupling,” was published in Nano Letters1. Exciting times lie ahead for molybdenum oxide!