Kinetics of monolayer MoS2-encapsulated nanobubbles on hexagonal boron nitride substrates

Abstract

Understanding the kinetics of nanobubbles encapsulated by ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) layered van der Waals crystal membranes on atomically flat substrates is important to the applications of 2D materials and the pursuit of 2D nanobubble technologies. Here, we investigate the controlled motion of monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)-encapsulated nanobubbles on flat hexagonal boron nitride substrates using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our study reveals a distinct transition from standstill bubble deformations to stable, stepwise bubble translations on flat substrates. The membrane tension-dominated 2D nanobubble behaves like an elastic soft body in its collision interaction with the AFM tip. This delicate motion-control technique enables neighboring 2D nanobubbles to move closer and eventually coalesce into larger nanobubbles. These findings pave the way for high-precision manipulation of nanobubbles and facilitate the exploration of their emerging applications.