Effects of Gamma-Ray Irradiation on Physicochemical Properties of MoSe₂

Space tourism is expected to become a large industry within the next decade as more private sector companies promote it.This ambitious goal can only be achieved through: (1) the discovery of radiation-resilient materials that exceed the stability and reliability expectations beyond existing semiconductor materials subjected to harsh environments, and (2) the development of radiation-robust technologies with expanded capabilities yet reduced size and weight. In this regard, 2D materials have attracted considerable attention for space applications due to their potential use as a replacement of traditional semiconductors for next-generation electronic devices and circuits. Among these materials, molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) becomes a suitable candidate due to its attractive semiconducting properties, strong chemical bonds, low optical absorption and absorption, bandgap tunability, and remarkable mechanical properties. In this study, we report the first structural, optical, and chemical analysis of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown MoSe2 flakes to various gamma radiation dosages up to 10MRad to understand their radiation stability for space and nuclear applications. In general, very small changes in optical, structural and chemical properties were observed compared to pristine samples, suggesting noteworthy stability even for high dosages of gamma radiation. We found out that low energy irradiation reduces the already existing Se vacancies causing improved optical properties. These findings highlight the inherent stability of these 2D quantum materials in harsh radioactive environments, which motivates further investigation of their optical, electrical, and structural properties and exploration for use in future space, energy, and defense applications.