Researchers at Rice University have shown, through computer simulations, why iodized salt lowers the reaction temperature in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace necessary to form two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide. They discovered that iodized salt helps to skip some steps and leap high-energy barriers in conventional CVD growth to yield far more of an essential precursor to molybdenum disulfide. In its two-dimensional form, titanium disulfide is highly coveted for its semiconducting properties, which promise advances in electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, catalytic, and medical applications.
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