Crystallographic influences on the nanomanipulation of gold nanoclusters on molybdenum disulfide

This work investigates the manipulation behavior of thermally deposited gold nanoclusters with tens of nanometers in size on monocrystalline Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) surfaces. Using scan raster patterns in the order of several m, dozens of Au islands can be displaced with a single scan, revealing a directional locking effect caused by the epitaxial nature of the nanoparticle growth on the MoS2 surface. Statistical analysis of tapping mode manipulation scans using pyramidal and conical AFM tips along with MD simulations lead to the conclusion that frictional anitrosopy governs the direction of displacement, with the preference to move along the zigzag- or armchair direction of the hexagonally structured surface. It further investigates the manipulation behavior on CVD grown mono- and bilayer MoS2 with the goal of formation of gold nanowires. For this several nanomanipulation and nanoscratching techniques are deployed to exploit the unique movement behavior of gold islands on a crystalline surface.