Temperature Dependent Structural Evolution of WSe₂: A Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction Study

Abstract

A thorough investigation of the structural parameters of micromechanically exfoliated multilayer WSe2 flakes was undertaken between 400 K to 110 K. Crystal structure of WSe2 remains in the trigonal prismatic structure in this temperature range, however, with a clear difference in the temperature dependence of the in-plane a, and the out-of-plane c, lattice parameters. The linear coefficients of thermal expansion of a and c are 5.132 × 10−6/K and 8.105 × 10−6/K, respectively. The temperature dependence of the unit-cell volume is analyzed using zero-pressure equation-of-state which yielded the Debye temperature of the WSe2 to be 160 K. Following the temperature dependence of the W-Se and W-W bond distances, a nonlinear behavior is observed in the former in contrast to a rather regular behavior of the later. This significant difference in the temperature dependence of the a and c lattice parameters can have consequences in the macroscopic physical properties of the system. A good correlation between the temperature dependence of the W-Se bond distance and Raman E2g1 mode has been observed.

Keywords

• two-dimensional systems
• transition metal dichalcogenides
• WSe₂
• X-ray powder diffraction
• Debye temperature