In-plane and vertical heterostructures from 1T’/2H transition-metal dichalcogenides

Objectives An avalanche of research has been carried out on two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) due to their potential applications in advanced electronics and flexible devices. To take full use of the emerging 2D TMDs materials, their in-plane/vertical heterostructures have been explored, enabling effective tuning of their physical and chemical properties. However, structural differences between the various phases impede the formation of functional heterostructures. Therefore, robust synthesis strategies for heterostructures with different phases have been explored in this study. Methods A chemical vapor deposition process has been proposed in which the key parameters like reaction sources, deposition sites, etc. have been carefully adjusted, trying to achieve simultaneous synthesis of 1T’/2H in-plane and vertical heterostructures. Results Consequently, 2D in-plane RexMo1-xS2/MoS2 and vertical ReS2/MoS2 heterostructures have been produced in different regions at the same time. Atomic-resolution Z-contrast images reveal the detailed atomic structure of the 1T’/2H interfaces. The lateral interface is found to contain Mo atoms with only 5-fold coordination with S due to the phase mismatch. Conclusion This work demonstrates a route to exploit heterostructures of different phases and opens the possibility to build more complicated 2D heterostructures using CVD.