Electron microscope image of molybdenene whiskers. Credit: Nature Nanotechnology (2023)
Scientists have synthesised a two-dimensional sheet of molybdenum atoms by converting molybdenum sulfide into molybdenene under microwave radiation1. This new one-atom thin material is as fine as graphene and could be used as a coating for electrodes to make batteries, says an international research team.
The scientists heated a mixture of molybdenum sulfide and graphene powder in a microwave. Graphene, acting as a catalyst, absorbed the microwave power and increased the temperature of the mixture to around 3,000°C.
This generated tiny whiskers of weakly bonded molybdenene sheets. The bottom sheets grew larger than the topmost layers, forming a ‘staircase’.
The team, which included researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Patna in Bihar and the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Kolkata, made cantilevers for atomic force microscopes by sticking the sheets onto silicon chips.
The sharp ends of the cantilevers were then bent to form tips that can create three-dimensional, nanoscale images of any surface. The cantilevers were used to image hard silicon structures, smooth 2D surfaces and soft biomolecules.
The cantilevers effectively minimized noise while they captured surface images. This property makes them suitable for high-resolution imaging and smarter than existing metal-coated, silicon-based cantilevers.
Electron-rich molybdenene can act as a catalyst in chemical reactions. It could also be used to design various electronic devices and chemical sensors, the researchers say.
