Unveiling charge transport in monolayer and few-layer CoPS3/metal contact: Insight from C-AFM

Monolayer and few-layer CoPS3 have been successfully synthesized via an Au-assisted exfoliation technique, with their transport properties subsequently investigated by conductive atomic force microscopy. Rectification effects can be observed in CoPS3 nanosheets due to the Schottky junction formation at the Au/CoPS3 interface, especially in configurations comprising two or more layer flakes. The distinct transport properties between monolayer and few-layer samples demonstrate that the charge transport behavior in the vertical direction is associated with the van der Waals gap. The calculated electron affinity for CoPS3 is about 4.84 eV, as revealed by the thermionic emission model. The results obtained contribute to the knowledge base concerning the transport characteristics of ultrathin MPX3, facilitating further exploration of the transport behavior of these materials and their potential applications in novel electronic devices.