Temperature dependent charge carrier dynamics in 2D ternary Cu₂MoS₄ nanoflakes: An effect of electron-phonon coupling

Two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenides (2D TMCs) like MoS2, WS2 etc., have established significant dominance in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology, owing to their unique properties like strong light-matter interaction, high carrier mobility, large photo-responsivity etc. Despite the widespread utilization of these binary TMCs, their potential in the advancement of the optoelectronic research is limited due to the constraints in band tuning and charge carrier lifetime. To overcome these limitations, ternary transition metal chalcogenides have emerged as promising alternatives. Although, the optical properties of these materials have never been explored properly. Herein, we have investigated one such promising member of this group, Cu2MoS4 (CMS) using both steady state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. The material exhibits a broad range of visible light absorption, peaking at 576 nm. Photoluminescence spectroscopy confirmed the presence of both band gap emission and trap state-mediated emissions. Transient absorption spectroscopy unraveled the excited state charge carrier dynamics of CMS in sub-ps timescale, upon irradiation of visible light. We found significant influence of the trap mediated recombination, while Auger process being dominant at high charge density. We extended our study in a wide temperature range (5-300 K), which reveals the impact of electron-phonon coupling strength on the band gap and charge carrier dynamics of this material. This detailed study would draw more attention toward the unexplored optical properties of ternary 2D chalcogenides and will open new avenues for the construction of 2D material-based optical devices.