3D- Heterostructures with incommensurate arrangements of well-defined building blocks are created using an unconventional synthetic approach comprising of mechanically facilitated “reshuffling” of layered 2D – transition metal dichalcogenides [1,2], and non-layered rare-earth metal monochalcogenides [2].
The discovered solid-state transformations are directed by quantum interaction between chemically and structurally dissimilar solids toward atomic-scale ordering. In the case of layered MoS2 and HfS2 [1], heterostructuring is energetically favorable over the formation of homogeneous nigh entropy dichalcogenides [3]. Density-functional theory calculations validate experimental results.
The obtained 3D-heteroassemblies demonstrate diverse electron transport behaviors, varying from metallic conductivity to indirect band gap semiconductivity, and superconductivity in some misfit heterostructures [1-4]
References
[1] Hlova I.Z. et al. Incommensurate transition-metal dichalcogenides via mechanochemical reshuffling of binary precursors. Nanoscale Adv. (2021) 3, 4065 – 4071.
[2] Hlova I.Z. et al. Multi-principal element transition metal dichalcogenides via reactive fusion of 3D-heterostructures Chem. Commun. (2018) 54, 12574 – 12577.
[3] Dolotko O. et al. Unprecedented generation of 3D heterostructures by mechanochemical disassembly and re-ordering of incommensurate metal chalcogenides. Nature Commun. (2020) 11, 3005.
[4] Sreedhara M.B. et al. Nanotubes from the Misfit Layered Compound (SmS)1.19TaS2: Atomic Structure, Charge Transfer, and Electrical Properties. Chem. Mater. (2022) 34, 1838 – 1853.