Two-dimensional (2-D) materials consist of atomically thin crystal layers bound by the van der Waals force. Recently, the popularity of these materials has been on the rise, primarily due to their many potential applications in electronics, optoelectronics and catalysis.

This is especially true for solution-processable 2-D semiconductor nanosheets, such as MoS2, which show particular potential for the development of large-area thin-film electronics. Compared to conventional zero- and one-dimensional nanostructures, which are typically restricted by surface dangling bonds and associated trapping states at grain boundaries, 2-D nanosheets have dangling-bond-free surfaces, resulting in a clean interface within a thin film and thus excellent charge transport.

Despite their potential benefits, preparing high-quality solution-processable 2-D semiconductor nanosheets comes with a number of challenges. For instance, MoS2 nanosheets and thin films created using lithium intercalation and exfoliation are negatively affected by the presence of the metallic 1T phase, and thus show poor electrical performance.

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