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arXiv · 2504.00208

Surface Sensitive Raman Response of Metal-Supported Monolayer MoS$_2$

Francesco Tumino·Sergio Tosoni·Paolo D'Agosta·Valeria Russo·Carlo Enrico Bottani·Andrea Li Bassi·Carlo Spartaco Casari
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Abstract

The Raman spectrum of monolayer (ML) MoS$_2$ is remarkably affected by the interaction with metals. In this work we studied ML-MoS$_2$ supported by the Ag(111) and Ag(110) surfaces by using a combined experimental and theoretical approach. The MoS$_2$ layer was directly grown on atomically clean Ag(111) and Ag(110) surfaces by pulsed laser deposition, followed by in-situ thermal annealing under ultra-high vacuum conditions. The morphology and structure of the two systems were characterized in-situ by scanning tunneling microscopy, providing atomic-scale information on the relation between the MoS$_2$ lattice and the underlying surface. Raman spectroscopy revealed differences between the two MoS$_2$-metal interfaces, especially concerning the behavior of the out-of-plane $A'_1$ vibrational mode, which splits into two contributions on Ag(110). The metal-induced effects on MoS$_2$ vibrational modes are further evidenced by transferring MoS$_2$ onto a more inert substrate (SiO$_2$/Si), where the MoS$_2$ Raman response displays a more ``freestanding-like'' behavior. The experimental data were interpreted with the support of ab-initio calculations of the vibrational modes, which provided insight into the effect of interface properties, such as strain and out-of-plane distortion. Our results highlight the influence of the interaction with metals on MoS$_2$ vibrational properties, and show the high sensitivity of MoS$_2$ Raman modes to the surface structure of the supporting metal.

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Francesco Tumino, Sergio Tosoni, Paolo D'Agosta, Valeria Russo, Carlo Enrico Bottani, Andrea Li Bassi, Carlo Spartaco Casari. 2025-03-31. Surface Sensitive Raman Response of Metal-Supported Monolayer MoS$_2$. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c06548

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