In Situ-Generated Volatile Precursor for CVD Growth of a Semimetallic 2D Dichalcogenide.

Semimetallic-layered transition-metal dichalcogenides, such as TiS, can serve as a platform material for exploring novel physics modulated by dimensionality, as well as for developing versatile applications in electronics and thermoelectrics. However, controlled synthesis of ultrathin TiS in a dry-chemistry way has yet to be realized because of the high oxophilicity of active Ti precursors. Here, we report the ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to grow large-size, highly crystalline two-dimensional (2D) TiS nanosheets through in situ generating titanium chloride as the gaseous precursor.