Fingerprinting the Properties of WS₂ Nanostructures using Advanced Transmission Electron Microscopy Techniques: From Growth to Characterization

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have attracted the interest of the scientific community following the discovery of graphene and its extraordinary properties. Of particular interest is a class of materials called transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). The materials within this class were discovered to show similarly intriguing optical and electronic properties, when compared to graphene. Moreover, research indicated that these properties are also highly sensitive to the TMDs' underlying atomic structure. Gaining control over these structural properties would enable the tuning of the physical and chemical properties, and hence allow for the fabrication of novel TMD nanostructures with tailored functionalities. Driven by this potential, we strive to gain a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the structural, chemical, and local electronic properties of nanostructures based on one such TMD material: tungsten disulfide (WS₂). This in order to aid us in the exploitation of the tunability of these physical properties through the fabrication of novel WS₂ nanostructures. …