Zheng Liu: Landscape of Two-dimensional Transitional Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs): Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

Recent times have seen a surge of activity in the exploration of two-dimensional transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with a range of properties. Here we will discuss our recent efforts in exploring various TMDs including sulfides, selenides, tellurides and their alloys. Scalable synthesis through vapour deposition of several of these structures will be discussed. Understanding of defects such as grain boundaries, edges and point defects in these structures is important for manipulating physical properties in these materials. Our efforts in manipulating these layers into creating vertically stacked hybrids as well as laterally engineered layers will be described. We will also discuss their applications on physics, chemistry and energy, e.g. superconductors, optoelectronics and high-performance catalysis for HER and ORR etc.