Patterned Growth and Modulated Photoluminescence of MoS₂ on the Mixed-Terminated SrTiO₃ Surface

Understanding the intricate interplay between 2D materials (2DMs) and functional oxides is crucial for advancing various applications in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Within this context, we investigate the composite system comprising molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and strontium titanate (SrTiO3) substrates, elucidating how controlled variations in a substrate surface structure modulate the growth and properties of MoS2. We developed a reliable method to manipulate the termination of SrTiO3(001) single crystals with different contents of TiO2 and SrO and fabricate high-quality MoS2 films selectively on the TiO2 area while avoiding all the SrO regions through a chemical vapor deposition strategy. Multiple characterization techniques revealed that such patterned MoS2 possesses not only ideal crystallinity but also a nanoporous structure with a large ratio of boundary sites which efficiently facilitates the charge transfer between MoS2 and the SrTiO3 substrate. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of substrate surface termination in modulating the electronic and optical properties of the composite system, paving the way for the rational design and engineering of 2DM-based devices for diverse applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics.