Modulating Electronic Properties of Monolayer MoS₂ via Electron-Withdrawing Functional Groups of Graphene Oxide

Modulation of the carrier concentration and electronic type of monolayer (1L) MoS₂ is highly important for applications in logic circuits, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes. Here, we demonstrate the tuning of the electronic properties of large-area 1L-MoS₂ using graphene oxide (GO). GO sheets are well-known as hole injection layers since they contain electron-withdrawing groups such as carboxyl, hydroxyl, and epoxy. The optical and electronic properties of GO-treated 1L-MoS₂ are dramatically changed. The photoluminescence intensity of GO-treated 1L-MoS₂ is increases by more than 470% compared to the pristine sample because of the increase in neutral exciton contribution. In addition, the A_1g peak in Raman spectra shifts considerably, revealing that GO treatment led to the formation of p-type doped 1L-MoS₂. Moreover, the current vs voltage (I-V) curves of GO-coated 1L-MoS₂ field effect transistors show that the electron concentration of 1L-MoS₂ is significantly lower in comparison with pristine 1L-MoS₂. Current rectification is also observed from the I-V curve of the lateral diode structure with 1L-MoS₂ and 1L-MoS₂/GO, indicating that the electronic structure of MoS₂ is significantly modulated by the electron-withdrawing functional group of GO.