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Reducing the dimensions of materials from three to two, or quasi-two, provides a fertile platform for exploring emergent quantum phenomena and developing next-generation electronic devices. However, growing high-quality, ultrathin, quasi two-dimensional (2D) materials in a templated fashion on an arbitrary substrate is challenging. Here, we demonstrate a simple and reproducible on-chip approach for synthesizing non-layered, nanometer thick, quasi-2D semimetals. In one implementation, this method starts with thin semiconducting InSe flakes of below 20 nm in thickness with nickel deposited on top, followed by a low-temperature annealing step that results in a controlled conversion of the layered InSe to a non-layered, crystalline semimetal via reaction with the laterally diffusing nickel. Atomic resolution spectroscopy reveals the converted semimetal to be Ni3In2Se2 with a Kagome-lattice structure. Moreover, we show that this synthesis method is generalizable by converting 2D layered chalcogenides such as SnS and SnSe employing Ni and Co to non-layered semimetals, paving the way for engineering novel types of devices.
Cai, J.
, Zhang, H.
, Tan, Y.
, Sun, Z.
, Tripathi, R.
, Wu, P.
, Krylyuk, S.
, Suhy, C.
, Kong, J.
, Davydov, A.
, Chen, Z.
and Appenzeller, J.
(2024),
On-chip synthesis of quasi two-dimensional semimetals from multi-layer chalcogenides, Advanced Materials, [online], https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202410815, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=958034
(Accessed October 8, 2025)