Metallic Contact between MoS and Ni via Au Nanoglue.

A critical factor for electronics based on inorganic layered crystals stems from the electrical contact mode between the semiconducting crystals and the metal counterparts in the electric circuit. Here, a materials tailoring strategy via nanocomposite decoration is carried out to reach metallic contact between MoS matrix and transition metal nanoparticles. Nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) are successfully joined to the sides of a layered MoS crystal through gold nanobuffers, forming semiconducting and magnetic NiNPs@MoS complexes. The intrinsic semiconducting property of MoS remains unchanged, and it can be lowered to only few layers. Chemical bonding of the Ni to the MoS host is verified by synchrotron radiation based photoemission electron microscopy, and further proved by first-principles calculations. Following the system's band alignment, new electron migration channels between metal and the semiconducting side contribute to the metallic contact mechanism, while semiconductor-metal heterojunctions enhance the photocatalytic ability.