Abstract Bandgap engineering plays a critical role in optimizing the electrical, optical and (photo)‐electrochemical applications of semiconductors. Alloying has been a historically successful way of tuning bandgaps by making solid solutions of two isovalent semiconductors. In this work, a novel form of bandgap engineering involving alloying non‐isovalent cations in a 2D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) is presented. By alloying semiconducting MoSe2with metallic NbSe2, two structural phases of Mo0.5Nb0.5Se2, the1Tand2Hphases, are produced each with emergent electronic structure. At room temperature, it is observed that the1Tand2Hphases are semiconducting and metallic, respectively. For the1Tstructure, scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) is used to measure band gaps in the range of 0.42–0.58 at 77 K. Electron diffraction patterns of the1Tstructure obtained at room temperature show the presence of a nearly commensurate charge density wave (NCCDW) phase with periodic lattice distortions that result in an uncommon 4 × 4 supercell, rotated approximately 4° from the lattice. Density‐functional‐theory calculations confirm that local distortions, such as those in a NCCDW, can open up a band gap in1T‐Mo0.5Nb0.5Se2, but not in the2Hphase. This work expands the boundaries of alloy‐based bandgap engineering by introducing a novel technique that facilitates CDW phases through alloying.
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Mixed-Metal Alloying in Hybrid Bronzes
We show that substitutional alloying during the aqueous self-assembly of layered organic-templated metal oxides produces single-phase mixed-metal hybrids. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, bulk elemental analyses, and vibrational and electronic spectroscopies corroborate a solid solution of Mo and W atoms at lattice sites within the two-dimensional metal oxide layers. Mild postsynthetic reduction then introduces relatively delocalized electrons to afford mixed-metal hybrid bronzes. To our knowledge, this represents the first demonstration of mixed-metal alloying in a hybrid metal oxide and a rare example of solid-solution formation at low temperature. We show this approach yields mixed-metal congeners with optical band gaps over 130 meV smaller than those of single-metal analogs, while achieving activation energies (Ea) of conduction as low as 78.4(2) meV. Further, metal substitution appears to tune collective electronic phenomena by suppressing the non-Arrhenius behavior observed for Mo-based hybrids. This work considerably expands the nascent hybrid bronze platform to help address energy-related challenges and fundamental solid-state physical questions.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2338086
- PAR ID:
- 10542180
- Publisher / Repository:
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- ISSN:
- 1520-5126
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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