Two-dimensional semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are making impressive strides in a short duration compared to other candidates. However, to unlock their full potential for advanced logic transistors, attention must be given to improving the contacts or interfaces they form. One approach is to interface with a suitable low work function metal contact to allow the surface Fermi level (EF) movement toward intended directions, thereby augmenting the overall electrical performance. In this work, we implement physical characterization to understand the tin (Sn) contact interface on monolayer and bulk molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) via in situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ex situ atomic force microscopy. A Sn contact exhibited a van der Waals type weak interaction with the MoS2 bulk surface where no reaction between Sn and MoS2 is detected. In contrast, reaction products with Sn—S bonding are detected with a monolayer surface consistent with a covalentlike interface. Band alignment at the interface indicates that Sn deposition induces n-type properties in the bulk substrate, while EF of the monolayer remains pinned. In addition, the thermal stability of Sn on the same substrates is investigated in a sequential ultrahigh vacuum annealing treatment at 100, 200, 300, and 400 °C. Sn sublimated/desorbed from both substrates with increasing temperature, which is more prominent on the bulk substrate after annealing at 400 °C. Additionally, Sn significantly reduced the monolayer substrate and produced detectable interface reaction products at higher annealing temperatures. The findings can be strategized to resolve challenges with contact resistance that the device community is having with TMDs. 
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                            Developing Potential Energy Surfaces for Graphene-Based 2D–3D Interfaces From Modified High-Dimensional Neural Networks for Applications in Energy Storage
                        
                    
    
            Abstract Designing a new heterostructure electrode has many challenges associated with interface engineering. Demanding simulation resources and lack of heterostructure databases continue to be a barrier to understanding the chemistry and mechanics of complex interfaces using simulations. Mixed-dimensional heterostructures composed of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) materials are undisputed next-generation materials for engineered devices due to their changeable properties. The present work computationally investigates the interface between 2D graphene and 3D tin (Sn) systems with density functional theory (DFT) method. This computationally demanding simulation data is further used to develop machine learning (ML)-based potential energy surfaces (PES). The approach to developing PES for complex interface systems in the light of limited data and the transferability of such models has been discussed. To develop PES for graphene-tin interface systems, high-dimensional neural networks (HDNN) are used that rely on atom-centered symmetry function to represent structural information. HDNN are modified to train on the total energies of the interface system rather than atomic energies. The performance of modified HDNN trained on 5789 interface structures of graphene|Sn is tested on new interfaces of the same material pair with varying levels of structural deviations from the training dataset. Root-mean-squared error (RMSE) for test interfaces fall in the range of 0.01–0.45 eV/atom, depending on the structural deviations from the reference training dataset. By avoiding incorrect decomposition of total energy into atomic energies, modified HDNN model is shown to obtain higher accuracy and transferability despite a limited dataset. Improved accuracy in the ML-based modeling approach promises cost-effective means of designing interfaces in heterostructure energy storage systems with higher cycle life and stability. 
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                            - Award ID(s):
- 1911900
- PAR ID:
- 10347534
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage
- Volume:
- 19
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2381-6872
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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