Experimental demonstration of continuous electronic structure tuning via strain in atomically thin MoS₂

We demonstrate the continuous tuning of the electronic structure of atomically thin MoS₂ on flexible substrates by applying a uniaxial tensile strain. A redshift at a rate of ∼70 meV per percent applied strain for direct gap transitions, and at a rate 1.6 times larger for indirect gap transitions, has been determined by absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Our result, in excellent agreement with first principles calculations, demonstrates the potential of two-dimensional crystals for applications in flexible electronics and optoelectronics.