Nature Electronics, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41928-026-01672-7 Monolayer molybdenum disulfide top-gate field-effect transistors with a transconductance of 0.45 mS µm−1 at an equivalent oxide thickness of around 1 nm can be created with the help of an epitaxially derived aluminium oxide interfacial layer.