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Engineering at the Atomic Edge: Pathway to Creating Low-Dimensional Structures

a)-d) Sequence of atomic-resolution annular dark field (ADF) STEM images showing dynamic edge reconstruction in Mo0.95W0.05Se2 at 500°C. Scientific Achievement

Tuning the localized chemical environment permits atomic edge structure engineering in W-doped MoSe2.

Significance and Impact

Work provides a pathway to understand and synthesize atomic edge structures for a wide range of 1D and 2D materials to tailor the electrical and magnetic properties for next-generation nano-devices, membranes, catalysts, and sensors.

Research Details

– In situ scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) was used to study dynamic edge reconstruction in 2D Mo0.95W0.05Se2 during annealing.

– Thermodynamically stable and metastable edge structures observed in situ were predicted from DFT and ab initio MD simulations.

X. Sang, X. Li, W. Zhao, J. Dong, C. M. Rouleau, D. B. Geohegan, F. Ding, K. Xiao, and R. R. Unocic, “In situ edge engineering in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogen Nature Commun. 9, Article 2051, (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04435-x


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