Electronic Structure and Luminescence of Quasi-Freestanding MoS2 Nanopatches on Au(111)

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides are interesting materials for optoelectronic devices due to their direct electronic band gaps in the visible spectral range. Here, we grow single layers of MoS2 on Au(111) and find that nanometer-sized patches exhibit an electronic structure similar to their freestanding analogue. We ascribe the electronic decoupling from the Au substrate to the incorporation of vacancy islands underneath the intact MoS2 layer. Excitation of the patches by electrons from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope leads to luminescence of the MoS2 junction and reflects the one-electron band structure of the quasi-freestanding layer.