title: Solid-Vapor Reaction Growth of Transition-Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayers.
abstract: Two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are promising candidates for next-generation ultrathin, flexible, and transparent electronics. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a promising method for their controllable, scalable synthesis but the growth mechanism is poorly understood. Herein, we present systematic studies to understand the CVD growth mechanism of monolayer MoSe2 , showing reaction pathways for growth from solid and vapor precursors. Examination of metastable nanoparticles deposited on the substrate during growth shows intermediate growth stages and conversion of non-stoichiometric nanoparticles into stoichiometric 2D MoSe2 monolayers. The growth steps involve the evaporation and reduction of MoO3 solid precursors to sub-oxides and stepwise reactions with Se vapor to finally form MoSe2 . The experimental results and proposed model were corroborated by ab initio Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9766-7925
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.|Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Yongji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Zhili
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.|Instituto de Fisica "Gleb Wataghin", Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Unicamp, CP 6165, 13083-970, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brunetto
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Yingchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Gonglan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.|State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China.
authors.forename: Zhuhua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Sidong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Zehua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Weipeng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisica "Gleb Wataghin", Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Unicamp, CP 6165, 13083-970, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Douglas S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Galvão
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Boris I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Yakobson
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA. robert.vajtai@rice.edu.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vajtai
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA. ajayan@rice.edu.|Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA. ajayan@rice.edu.
authors.forename: Pulickel M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ajayan
keywords: chemical vapor deposition; growth mechanisms; molybdenum diselenide; monolayers; transition-metal dichalcogenide