External Boosting of Free Carriers and Phonon Energy in MoS₂/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheet-Based Composite Films: Implications for Thermal Management

We present here the fabrication of a MoS₂/reduced graphene oxide nanosheet-based composite thin film with optimized stoichiometry to boost free carriers and phononic activity for heat transport, all these in a bid to develop an efficient solid-state thermometer. The possibility is envisaged from theoretical analysis followed by subsequent validation with experimental results on two fundamental material parameters, such as temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and thermal hysteresis loss (H_th), which fundamentally govern the heat transport and control the thermal sensor characteristics, such as response magnitude, response- and recovery-time, sensitivity, and resolution. In the static mode, the measured sensing data in the high temperature range (298-373 K) are as follows: TCR of −0.71% K^-1, response- and recovery time of ∼73 and ∼75 s, respectively, with ∼0.36% hysteresis loss. In the low-temperature range (298-123 K), the maximum TCR observed is ∼−7.23% K^-1 with ∼0.40% hysteresis loss, whereas in the instant mode, TCR increases manifold in the low-temperature range (298-77 K) up to ∼34.19% K^-1. Besides, the sensor exhibits a fast response of ∼2 s and recovery time of ∼19 s with negligible hysteresis loss of ∼1.49%; showing the material’s possible application as a superior solid-state thermometer in the low as well as high temperature ranges.