The formation of electrically conducting 'nanoroads' on atomically thin semiconductor nanosheets enables the integration of electronic components.

Two-dimensional sheets of electronic materials, such as graphene, show promise for practical nanoelectronics applications, including transparent electronic circuits used in electronic displays. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is of particular interest because, unlike metallic graphene, it is semiconducting, like silicon -- the semiconductor that underpins today's computer technology.

Now, Yongqing Cai from the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore, with colleagues from China and the United States, has calculated that, by adding hydrogen to a MoS2 surface, regions of the surface can be converted into metallic 'roads'. These roads can transport electrical charges between different areas of a MoS2 nanosheet, enabling the fabrication of integrated electronic circuits(1).

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