Resonant Raman scattering in MoS2—From bulk to monolayer

•The resonant Raman effect is studied in bulk and a few monolayer MoS2 at T=300 K and T=4.2 K.•The results are discussed within the model involving transverse acoustic phonons in MoS2.•The multiphonon Raman peaks involving acoustic phonons are strongly quenched in thin MoS2 layers.•The Raman peaks due to otherwise inactive modes can be observed in thin MoS2 layers.

Resonant Raman scattering in molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is studied as a function of the structure thickness. Optical emission from bulk, three-, two-, and one- monolayer MoS2 is studied both at room and at liquid helium temperature. The quenching of peaks due to second-order processes was observed and attributed to the effect of the substrate on the lattice dynamics in MoS2. The experimental results are discussed within the frames of the recently proposed model of electron–phonon coupling involving transverse acoustic phonons from the vicinity of the high-symmetry M point of the MoS2 Brillouin zone.