Stability of Vanadium‐Doped Transition Metal Dichalcogenides under Etching Atmosphere

Abstract

2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted intensive interests for its unique electronic, optical, and thermal properties. Doping is necessary to expand the application. However, the stability of doped materials has been overlooked. This study focuses on the stability of monolayer‐doped MoS2 with different vanadium (V) concentrations. It provides a quantitative assessment of the etching results. Findings indicate that the stability of MoS2 under different etching atmospheres follows the series of lightly doped MoS2, pristine MoS2, moderately doped MoS2, and highly doped MoS2. This research indicates that the stability of the material is linked to the bonding energy of cations and anions, as well as the amount of lattice distortion, which competes with one another. Low levels of V doping do not lead to significant lattice distortion, and the binding energy between sulfur (S) and V surpasses that of molybdenum (Mo), which is the primary factor. Excessive doping results in lattice distortion, which leads to a multitude of defects and a reduction in durability. This work is important for guiding the assessment of the reliability, the protection of degradation, and application scenarios of TMDs.