MoS2 atomic layers have recently attracted much interest because of their two-dimensional structure as well as tunable optical, electrical, and mechanical properties for next-generation electronic and electro-optical devices. Here we have achieved facile fabrication of MoS2 thin films on CdS nanowires by cation exchange in solution at room temperature and importantly observed their extraordinary magnetic properties. We establish the atomic structure of the MoS2/CdS heterostructure by taking atomic images of the MoS2/CdS interface as well as performing first-principles density functional geometry optimizations and scanning transmission electron microscopy annular dark field image simulations. Furthermore, our first-principles density functional calculations for the MoS2/CdS heterostructure reveal that the magnetism in the MoS2/CdS heterostructure stems from the ferromagnetic MoS2 monolayer next to the MoS2/CdS interface. The ferromagnetism is attributed to the partial occupation of the Mo dx2-y2 /dxy conduction band in the interfacial MoS2 monolayer caused by the mixed covalent-ionic bonding among the MoS2 and CdS monolayers near the MoS2/CdS interface. These findings of the ferromagnetic MoS2 monolayer with large spin polarization at the MoS2/semiconductor interface suggest a new route for fabrication of the transition metal dichalcogenide-based magnetic semiconductor multilayers for applications in spintronic devices.

Titanium nitride (TiN) is an ideal material for infrared plasmonics due to its excellent optical properties, high melting temperature, mechanical and chemical stabilities, and bio- and CMOS compatibilities. In this work, we demonstrate that ultrathin and scalable TiN epitaxial structures can be applied for tunable infrared plasmonics, extending into near- to mid-infrared spectral regions. The ultrathin (111)-oriented TiN epitaxial films studied here were grown on c-plane sapphire wafers without any wetting layer by ultrahigh-vacuum nitrogen-plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. This method allows for stoichiometric TiN growth without the issue of contamination (especially oxygen) in conventional TiN growth techniques. Structural analyses for these films validate their single-crystalline properties with continuous film morphologies down to a few nanometers in thickness. Furthermore, the frequency-tunable (wavelength range: 1-4 μm) plasmonic metasurfaces have been demonstrated by controlling surface plasmon resonances via lithographically patterning of ultrathin TiN epitaxial films with varying thicknesses (4-30 nm) and grating structure parameters (pitch: 300-1200 nm, width: 200-800 nm). The tunable plasmonic metasurfaces based on ultrathin TiN epitaxial films hold great promise for emerging infrared plasmonic applications, such as thermal photovoltaics requiring narrow-band emitters, photodetectors, and biosensors in the near- and mid-infrared spectral regions.