Synthesis of nanometre-thick MoO3 sheets

The formation of MoO3 sheets of nanoscale thickness is described. They are made from several fundamental sheets of orthorhombic alpha-MoO3, which can be processed in large quantities via a low cost synthesis route that combines thermal evaporation and mechanical exfoliation. These fundamental sheets consist of double-layers of linked distorted MoO6 octahedra. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements show that the minimum resolvable thickness of these sheets is 1.4 nm which is equivalent to the thickness of two double-layers within one unit cell of the alpha-MoO3 crystal.