Researcher recognized for research on the manipulation of defects in two-dimensional TMD alloys, with potential applications in photonics and quantum devices
Postdoctoral researcher Ana Carolina Ferreira de Brito of the Synchrotron Light National Laboratory, which is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), received an award for her poster presentation during the 8th Nanoscientific Forum Europe – Scanning Probe Microscopy, held in September at the Paris-Saclay University in Orsay, France. This is considered one of the most important events in the areas of scanning probe microscopy and nanoscience, bringing together international experts, research institutions and leading groups dedicated to developing advanced techniques and innovative solutions.
During the conference, Ana Carolina presented a project entitled “Engineering monolayer islands in TMD alloys: Local Anodic Oxidation of Mo₁₋ₓWₓSe₂ with nanoscale precision,” which demonstrated how controlled creation of defects in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) alloys, specifically Mo₁₋ₓWₓSe₂, makes it possible to fine-tune their electronic and optical properties. The research combines advanced probe scanning microscopy techniques, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies, as well as theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT).
The results demonstrate that it is possible to engineer defects and nanometric structures in these nanomaterials, creating potential applications in optoelectronics, photonics and quantum devices. The study shows how nanometer-scale control can directly influence the optoelectronic properties of these semiconductors, placing this work at the frontier of knowledge in nanoscience.
“This research demonstrates how we can manipulate nanometer-scale defects with precision and understand how these changes impact the optoelectronic properties of these nanomaterials. This type of knowledge is essential for advancing the development of photonic technologies and quantum devices,” says Ana Carolina, a postdoctoral researcher at LNLS/CNPEM’s Microscopic Samples Laboratory (LAM).
She also notes that the study is currently in a new phase involving advanced multi-technique experiments to characterize structural and optical properties. “We are using the infrastructure at CNPEM, like the Sirius beamlines, to analyze the chemical composition and heterogeneities of the nanometric oxides we obtain, as well as the Atomic Force Microscopy Laboratory at the Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano) to prepare the samples. Our goal now is to understand how these defects affect the optoelectronic properties of TMD alloys,” explains Ana Carolina.
The award-winning project is the result of a collaboration between the Synchrotron Light National Laboratory (LNLS), under the supervision of LAM lead researcher Ingrid David Barcelos, and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), where the research was supervised by professor Bernardo Ruegger Almeida Neves. Also taking part were LNNano postdoctoral researcher Alysson Alves Pinto (who coauthored the study alongside Ana Carolina) and researchers from the laboratory’s Data Theory and Science group. The University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, in the Czech Republic, is also part of the collaboration.
The research received support from the National Institute of Science and Technology in Carbon Nanomaterials, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and LNLS, demonstrating the connections between national and international institutions on the cutting edge of nanoscience.
Ana Carolina’s award-winning work has been published in the scientific journal Nanotechnology, and can be accessed at: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6528/ae00cd.
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
