Te-seeded growth of few-quintuple layer Bi2Te3 nanoplates

• Published in: Nano research Vol. 7; no. 9; pp. 1243 - 1253
• Main Authors: Zhao, Yanyuan, de la Mata, Maria, Qiu, Richard L. J., Zhang, Jun, Wen, Xinglin, Magen, Cesar, Gao, Xuan P. A., Arbiol, Jordi, Xiong, Qihua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Tsinghua University Press 01.09.2014
• Subjects: Atomic/Molecular Structure and Spectra; Bi2Te3; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Research Article; 外延生长; 层状材料; 晶体结构; 气相传输; 种子; 纳米板; 透射电子显微镜; Te; TEM cross-section; epitaxial growth; Bi; Te nucleation seed; few-quintuple layer; optical contrast
• ISSN: 1998-0124; 1998-0000
• DOI: 10.1007/s12274-014-0487-y

We report on a Te-seeded epitaxial growth of ultrathin Bi2Te3 nanoplates （down to three quintuple layers （QL）） with large planar sizes （up to tens of micrometers） through vapor transport. Optical contrast has been systematically investigated for the as-grown Bi2Te3 nanoplates on the SiO2/Si substrates, experimentally and computationally. The high and distinct optical contrast provides a fast and convenient method for the thickness determination of few-QL Bi2Te3 nanoplates. By aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, a hexagonal crystalline structure has been identified for the Te seeds, which form naturally during the growth process and initiate an epitaxial growth of the rhombohedral- structured Bi2Te3 nanoplates. The epitaxial relationship between Te and Bi2T% is identified to be perfect along both in-plane and out-of-plane directions of the layered nanoplate. Similar growth mechanism might be expected for other bismuth chalcogenide layered materials.