A comparative study of Ag doping effects on the electronic, optical, carrier conversion, photocatalytic and electrical properties of MoS2

Abstract

MoS2 is an interesting material due to its intriguing properties and potential applications. Theoretical and experimental studies demonstrated p-type of Ag doped MoS2 system. Band structures, density of states and I-V characteristics confirmed that Ag is an efficient acceptor and indirect band gap is reduced with Ag doping. Formation energy is negative which indicates the substitution reactions could be possible. MoS2 is a strong photocatalyst for O2 production and the oxidation ability is enhanced with Ag doping. Mo100-xAgxS2 (x = 0.0 to 10) thin films seems to be stacked of many layers and XRD patterns justify hexagonal crystal structure. EDX and XPS measurements ensured the films are composed of Mo, S and Ag. Rectification is observed for Au/Mo100-xAgxS2 and the forward current decreases with Ag. The built-in potential is just opposite side to undoped MoS2 insights p-MoS2. Thus Ag doped MoS2 would enable for fabrication of efficient electronic, photocatalytic and optoelectronic devices.