Synthesis and Characterization of quasi 2D-Chromium Sulfide

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are atomically thin semiconductors of the type MX₂ with M being a transition metal (such as Mo, W etc.) and X being a chalcogen atom (such as S, Se and Te). TMDs have recently attracted considerable attention because of their novel electronic and optical properties. Little attention is given to the synthesis and characterization of chromium dichalcogenides. Here, we introduce a new method for obtaining Cr₂S₃ via vapor-solid growth mechanism. Polycrystalline Cr-sulfide sample was synthesized by heating a mixture of Cr and S in a sealed and evacuated silica tube (<10^-5 mbar) at 500°C for 24 hours and then 800°C for another four days. At 800 °C, with the help of Ar as carrier gas, we deposited Cr₂S₃ on sapphire samples. AFM images showed only quasi-two-dimensional triangular islands on otherwise flat samples. The phase and structural analysis of as synthesized powder were examined by a powder X-ray diffractometer. Some of the XRD peaks match well with the calculated XRD data for Cr₂S₃ confirming the quasi-2D nature of the islands observed in the AFM images.