Recent Progress and Developments in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

The breakthrough discovery of graphene has directed attention toward 2D structural materials like silicene, phosphorene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), and hexagonal boron nitride. Recently, TMDCs have been investigated extensively, attributable to their exceptional chemical and physical properties. In particular, few-layer or monolayer TMDCs have numerous advantages, for example, weak interlayer van der Waals force, direct band gap, abundant marginal active sites, and large interlayer spacing, which make them extensively used in gas sensing, energy conversion, energy storage, catalysis, and optoelectronic devices. This review provides an outline of the inherent characteristics of TMDCs and their current fabrication methods, including hydro/solvothermal, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition, and other techniques, such as chemical synthesis and physical vapor methods. Moreover, the application of TMDCs in various fields has also been discussed thoroughly. Finally, it also highlights the challenges and future directions, including the necessity for improved synthesis methods, understanding their stability, and investigation into new applications. This review reveals the synthesis, structures, properties, modifications, applications, and perceptions of TMDCs.