Interface Engineering of Au(111) for the Growth of 1T′-MoSe <sub/>2</sub>

摘要： Phase-controlled synthesis of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) is of great interest due to the distinct properties of the different phases. However, it is challenging to prepare metallic phase of group-VI TMDCs due to their metastability. At the monolayer level, interface engineering can be used to stabilize the metastable phase. Here, we demonstrate the selective growth of either single-layer 1H or 1T’-MoSe2 on Au(111) by molecular beam epitaxy; the two phases can be unambiguously distinguished using scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy. While the growth of 1H-MoSe2 is favourable on pristine Au(111), the growth of 1T’-MoSe2 is promoted by the pre-deposition of Se on Au(111). The selective growth of 1T’-MoSe2 phase on Se-pretreated Au(111) is attributed to Mo intercalation-induced stabilization of the 1T’ phase, which is supported by density functional theory calculations. In addition, 1T’ twin boundaries and 1H-1T’ heterojunctions were observed and found to exhibit enhanced tunnelling conductivity. The substrate pre-treatment approach for phase-controlled epitaxy should be applicable to other group-VI TMDCs grown on Au (111).