A review of the synthesis, properties, and applications of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides and their heterostructures

One of the most nascent and universally accepted categories among the 2D materials is the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). The absence of bandgap in graphene fomented the researchers to quest for an alternative semiconducting 2D materials. The aberrant optical and electronic properties helped 2D TMDs to excel in fundamental research and novel device applications. This article overviews the recent advances in the preparation methods, properties, characterization, and novel multifunctional applications of TMDs and their corresponding heterostructures with special emphasis on their biosensing applications. The major portion of the review underlines the TMDs based heterostructures, which find potential applications in optoelectronics, sensors, and photovoltaics, that are devised to boost the functionality and flexibility and there by surmount the existing limitations of monolayered materials. At the end, the advancement and elevation of TMDs as biosensors over other 2D materials are also explored.