Telluriding monolayer MoS₂ and WS₂ via alkali metal scooter

The conversion of chalcogen atoms to other types in transition metal dichalcogenides has significant advantages for tuning bandgaps and constructing in-plane heterojunctions; however, difficulty arises from the conversion of sulfur or selenium to tellurium atoms owing to the low decomposition temperature of tellurides. Here, we propose the use of sodium for converting monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) to molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe₂) under Te-rich vapors. Sodium easily anchors tellurium and reduces the exchange barrier energy by scooting the tellurium to replace sulfur. The conversion was initiated at the edges and grain boundaries of MoS₂, followed by complete conversion in the entire region. By controlling sodium concentration and reaction temperature of monolayer MoS₂, we tailored various phases such as semiconducting 2H-MoTe₂, metallic 1T'-MoTe₂, and 2H-MoS_2-x Te _x alloys. This concept was further extended to WS₂. A high valley polarization of ~37% in circularly polarized photoluminescence was obtained in the monolayer WS_2-x Te _x alloy at room temperature.