The photoluminescence (PL) in monolayer (1L) WS2 greatly varies depending on its electron density. A “chemical tuner” for PL variation in 1L WS2, is described by Y. M. Jhon and co-workers on page 7551. Hydrogen and/or fluorine plasma treatments allow for tuning of the PL brightness in a reversible way for unlimited cycles. Even a small amount of fluorine dopants significantly brighten PL in 1L WS2 due to their strong electron affinity. The approach is successfully applied in NH3 gas sensing.