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Research Article

Te-seeded growth of few-quintuple layer Bi2Te3 nanoplates

Yanyuan Zhao1, Maria de la Mata2, Richard L. J. Qiu3, Jun Zhang1, Xinglin Wen1, Cesar Magen4, Xuan P. A. Gao3, Jordi Arbiol2,5( ), Qihua Xiong1,6( )
Division of Physics and Applied PhysicsSchool of Physical and Mathematical SciencesNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore637371
Institut de Ciència de Materials de BarcelonaICMAB-CSIC, E-08193, Bellaterra, CATSpain
Department of PhysicsCase Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, Ohio44106USA
Laboratorio de Microscopías Avanzadas (LMA)Instituto de Nanociencia de Aragon (INA) — ARAID and Departamento de Fisica de la Materia CondensadaUniversidad de Zaragoza50018Zaragoza, Spain
Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA)08010Barcelona, CAT, Spain
NOVITAS, Nanoelectronics Centre of ExcellenceSchool of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological UniversitySingapore639798
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Graphical Abstract

Abstract

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 rhombohedralstructured Bi2Te3 nanoplates. The epitaxial relationship between Te and Bi2Te3 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.

Keywords

epitaxial growthoptical contrastBi2Te3Te nucleation seedfew-quintuple layerTEM cross-section

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Nano Research
Volume 7 Issue 9,
September 2014
Pages 1243-1253
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-014-0487-y
Cite this article:
Zhao Y, de la Mata M, Qiu RLJ, et al. Te-seeded growth of few-quintuple layer Bi2Te3 nanoplates. Nano Research, 2014, 7(9): 1243-1253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-014-0487-y

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Received: 16 February 2014
Revised: 26 April 2014
Accepted: 27 April 2014
Published: 16 August 2014
© Tsinghua University Press and Springer‐Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
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