Quantifying low‑temperature MoS2–HOPG interlayer spacing

Determine the interlayer spacing between monolayer MoS2 and the highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate at low temperature using direct structural measurements (e.g., temperature‑dependent X‑ray diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, or cross‑sectional transmission electron microscopy) to quantify the substrate separation that underpins the observed momentum‑dependent band renormalization.

Background

The study reports non‑rigid, momentum‑dependent band renormalization in monolayer MoS2 on HOPG that is attributed to multipole dielectric screening enhanced by reduced interlayer separation at low temperature. While band hybridization features and analytical screened‑Coulomb modeling support this interpretation, the authors did not perform direct structural measurements of the MoS2–substrate spacing across temperature.

To validate and quantify the proposed mechanism, the authors explicitly state that measuring the interlayer separation at low temperature remains an open experimental task, suggesting techniques such as temperature‑dependent XRD, STM, or cross‑sectional TEM as possible approaches.

References

We note that direct structural measurements of the temperature-dependent MoS2- substrate separation, such as temperature-dependent XRD, STM, or cross-sectional TEM, are not available in the present study. Although our interpretation is supported by hybridization trends and screened- Coulomb modeling, quantifying the interlayer spacing at low temperature remains an open experimental task for future work.

— Band Renormalization in Monolayer MoS2 Induced by Multipole Screening  (2604.02857 - Lee et al., 3 Apr 2026) in Section III. Results and Discussion (paragraph discussing lack of direct structural measurements; immediately before Conclusions)