Premium
Theoretical and Experimental Insight into the Mechanism for Spontaneous Vertical Growth of ReS 2 Nanosheets
Author(s) -
Ghoshal Debjit,
Yoshimura Anthony,
Gupta Tushar,
House Andrew,
Basu Swastik,
Chen Yanwen,
Wang Tianmeng,
Yang Yang,
Shou Wenjia,
Hachtel Jordan A.,
Idrobo Juan Carlos,
Lu TohMing,
Basuray Sagnik,
Meunier Vincent,
Shi SuFei,
Koratkar Nikhil
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201801286
Subject(s) - materials science , island growth , anisotropy , raman spectroscopy , perpendicular , atom (system on chip) , substrate (aquarium) , chemical physics , lattice (music) , crystal growth , condensed matter physics , nanotechnology , crystallography , optics , epitaxy , chemistry , physics , geometry , oceanography , mathematics , layer (electronics) , geology , computer science , acoustics , embedded system
Rhenium disulfide (ReS 2 ) differs fundamentally from other group‐VI transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) due to its low structural symmetry, which results in its optical and electrical anisotropy. Although vertical growth is observed in some TMDs under special growth conditions, vertical growth in ReS 2 is very different in that it is highly spontaneous and substrate‐independent. In this study, the mechanism that underpins the thermodynamically favorable vertical growth mode of ReS 2 is uncovered. It is found that the governing mechanism for ReS 2 growth involves two distinct stages. In the first stage, ReS 2 grows parallel to the growth substrate, consistent with conventional TMD growth. However, subsequent vertical growth is nucleated at points on the lattice where Re atoms are “pinched” together. At such sites, an additional Re atom binds with the cluster of pinched Re atoms, leaving an under‐coordinated S atom protruding out of the ReS 2 plane. This under‐coordinated S is “reactive” and binds to free Re and S atoms, initiating growth in a direction perpendicular to the ReS 2 surface. The utility of such vertical ReS 2 arrays in applications where high surface‐to‐volume ratio and electric‐field enhancement are essential, such as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, field emission, and solar‐based disinfection of bacteria, is demonstrated.