In situ electron microscopy study of structural transformations in 2D CoSe2

Thermally induced structural transformation of 2D materials opens unique avenues for generating other 2D materials by physical methods. Imaging these transitions in real time provides insight into synthesis routes and property tuning. We have used in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to fo...

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Published inNPJ 2D materials and applications Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 1 - 9
Main Authors Gavhane, Dnyaneshwar S., van Gog, Heleen, Thombare, Balu, Lole, Gaurav, Christiaan Post, L., More, Mahendra A., van Huis, Marijn A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 22.02.2021
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
639/925/357/1018
639/925/930/328/2082
Chemistry and Materials Science
Cubic lattice
Electron microscopy
High temperature
Materials Science
Microscopy
Morphology
Nanotechnology
Surfaces and Interfaces
Thin Films
Transformations
Two dimensional materials
Unit cell
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Summary:Thermally induced structural transformation of 2D materials opens unique avenues for generating other 2D materials by physical methods. Imaging these transitions in real time provides insight into synthesis routes and property tuning. We have used in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to follow thermally induced structural transformations in layered CoSe 2 . Three transformation processes are observed: orthorhombic to cubic-CoSe 2 , cubic-CoSe 2 to hexagonal-CoSe, and hexagonal to tetragonal-CoSe. In particular, the unit-cell-thick orthorhombic structure of CoSe 2 transforms into cubic-CoSe 2 via rearrangement of lattice atoms. Cubic-CoSe 2 transforms to hexagonal-CoSe at elevated temperatures through the removal of chalcogen atoms. All nanosheets transform to basal-plane-oriented hexagonal 2D CoSe. Finally, the hexagonal to tetragonal transformation in CoSe is a rapid process wherein the layered morphology of hexagonal-CoSe is broken and islands of tetragonal-CoSe are formed. Our results provide nanoscopic insights into the transformation processes of 2D CoSe 2 which can be used to generate these intriguing 2D materials and to tune their properties by modifying their structures for electro-catalytic and electronic applications.
ISSN:2397-7132
2397-7132
DOI:10.1038/s41699-021-00206-3