Excitonic Dynamics in Janus MoSSe and WSSe Monolayers

We report here details of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy of excitonic dynamics for Janus transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, including MoSSe and WSSe, which were synthesized by low-energy implantation of Se into transition metal disulfides. Absorbance and photoluminescence spectroscopic measurements determined the room-temperature exciton resonances for MoSSe and WSSe monolayers. Transient absorption measurements revealed that the excitons in Janus structures form faster than those in pristine transition metal dichalcogenides by about 30% due to their enhanced electron-phonon interaction by the built-in dipole moment. By combining steady-state photoluminescence quantum yield and time-resolved transient absorption measurements, we find that the exciton radiative recombination lifetime in Janus structures is significantly longer than in their pristine samples, supporting the predicted spatial separation of the electron and hole wave functions due to the built-in dipole moment. These results provide fundamental insight in the optical properties of Janus transition metal dichalcogenides.