Atomically resolved two-dimensional amorphous nuclei formed during MoS₂ chemical vapor deposition

TY - JOUR

T1 - Atomically resolved two-dimensional amorphous nuclei formed during MoS2 chemical vapor deposition

AU - Ye, Huanyu

AU - Wu, Chongteng

AU - Cao, Duanyun

AU - Zhang, Guorui

AU - Sun, Yinghui

AU - Zhu, Yuchen

AU - Wu, Feng

AU - Zhang, Zhihong

AU - Wang, Rongming

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors, some rights reserved.

PY - 2026/2/5

Y1 - 2026/2/5

N2 - Control over the nucleation and growth of two-dimensional (2D) materials is essential for their scalable manufacturing. We report in situ atomic-scale observations of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nucleation and growth through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using environmental transmission electron microscopy. Coupled with molecular dynamics simulations, our observations reveal the formation of a 2D amorphous structure at the initial nucleation stage, which undergoes an in-plane structural ordering transition into a crystalline nucleus once a critical size is reached. We further captured nuclei merging and oriented attachment processes in the early growth stage, which likely contributed to 2D single-crystal fabrication. These findings unveil the atomistic structural evolution in MoS2 nucleation and growth under CVD condition, providing mechanistic insight for the controlled synthesis of high-quality 2D crystals and informing broader strategies for covalently bonded material systems.

AB - Control over the nucleation and growth of two-dimensional (2D) materials is essential for their scalable manufacturing. We report in situ atomic-scale observations of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nucleation and growth through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using environmental transmission electron microscopy. Coupled with molecular dynamics simulations, our observations reveal the formation of a 2D amorphous structure at the initial nucleation stage, which undergoes an in-plane structural ordering transition into a crystalline nucleus once a critical size is reached. We further captured nuclei merging and oriented attachment processes in the early growth stage, which likely contributed to 2D single-crystal fabrication. These findings unveil the atomistic structural evolution in MoS2 nucleation and growth under CVD condition, providing mechanistic insight for the controlled synthesis of high-quality 2D crystals and informing broader strategies for covalently bonded material systems.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105029610649

U2 - 10.1126/science.adz8243

DO - 10.1126/science.adz8243

M3 - Article

C2 - 41643000

AN - SCOPUS:105029610649

SN - 0036-8075

SP - 622

EP - 627

JO - Science

JF - Science

ER -