title: Analysis of electron beam damage of exfoliated MoS₂ sheets and quantitative HAADF-STEM imaging.
abstract: In this work we examined MoS₂ sheets by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) at three different energies: 80, 120 and 200 kV. Structural damage of the MoS₂ sheets has been controlled at 80 kV according a theoretical calculation based on the inelastic scattering of the electrons involved in the interaction electron-matter. The threshold energy for the MoS₂ material has been found and experimentally verified in the microscope. At energies higher than the energy threshold we show surface and edge defects produced by the electron beam irradiation. Quantitative analysis at atomic level in the images obtained at 80 kV has been performed using the experimental images and via STEM simulations using SICSTEM software to determine the exact number of MoS2₂ layers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales en Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Andres M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Raya
authors.affiliation: INFIQC-CONICET, Departamento de Matemática y Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, XUA5000 Cordoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marcelo M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mariscal
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Esparza
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales en Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales en Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Sergio I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería Informática, CASEM, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, Puerto Real, 11510 Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scavello
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería Informática, CASEM, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, Puerto Real, 11510 Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Galindo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jose-Yacaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA. Electronic address: arturo.ponce@utsa.edu.
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ponce
keywords: Aberration-corrected microscopy; Low-voltage transmission electron microscopy; Molybdenum disulfide; Radiation damage