Molecular Doping of MoS$_2$ with N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: A Raman Study of Interfacial Charge Transfer

Overview & Synopsis

We demonstrate efficient electron doping of exfoliated MoS$_2$ through the deposition of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) molecules onto its surface. Raman spectroscopy reveals a pronounced softening of the optical A$_{1g}$ phonon mode after NHC deposition, consistent with electron transfer from the NHC molecules to the MoS$_2$ layers. The largest phonon-energy shifts are observed in monolayer and bilayer flakes whereas changes in bulk-like MoS$_2$ are negligible, indicating that the doping efficiency depends on the number of layers. This thickness dependence highlights the dominant role of interfacial charge transfer at the NHC/MoS$_2$ interface. Quantitative analysis of the Raman modes of as-exfoliated and NHC-covered MoS$_2$, together with comparison with literature values, allows us to estimate an increase in the two-dimensional electron density of about two-orders of magnitude in MoS$_2$ mono- and bilayers. These results demonstrate that NHC-based surface deposition is a promising approach for chemically tuning the carrier density of semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides and provide a potential route toward molecularly tunable two-dimensional electronic devices, in which, analogous to modulation doping, the donors reside outside the semiconductor lattice.