New Layered Intergrowths in the Sn-Mo-Se System

Several new metastable layered intergrowths based on tin monoselenide and molybdenum diselenide, [(SnSe)(1+) ] [MoSe2] , have been prepared by self-assembly from elemental nanolaminate precursors deposited by physical vapor deposition. The thin-film specimens were characterized by laboratory x-ray reflectivity and diffraction, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, and scanning transmission electron microscopy techniques, all of which indicate the formation of intergrowths with precise layering and well-defined composition. Analysis of in-plane diffraction originating from the individual components yields a structural misfit of = 0.06 and suggests turbostratic misorientation of the individual layers. In contrast to most known [(MX)(1+) ] [TX2] -type chalcogenide compounds, electrical transport data for the [(SnSe)(1+) ](1)[MoSe2](1) composition are consistent with semiconducting behavior.