Electronic transport in NbSe2 two-dimensional nanostructures: semiconducting characteristics and photoconductivity

Abstract

The electronic transport properties of two-dimensional (2D) niobium diselenide (NbSe₂) layer materials with two-hexagonal single-crystalline structures grown by chemical vapor transport were investigated. Those NbSe₂ nanostructures isolated simply using mechanical exfoliation were found to exhibit lower conductivity and semiconducting properties, compared with their bulk metallic counterparts. Benefiting from lower dark conductivity, NbSe₂ nanoflakes exhibit a remarkable photoresponse under different wavelengths and intensity excitations. The photocurrent responsivity and photoconductive gain can reach 3.8 A W⁻¹ and 300, respectively; these values are higher than those of graphene and MoS₂ monolayers and are comparable with those of GaS and GaSe nanosheets. The presence of electron trap states at the surface was proposed as an explanation for the reduced dark conductivity and enhanced photoconductivity in the 2D NbSe₂ nanostructures. This work identifies another possibility for the application of a metallic layer material as an optoelectronic component in addition to an ultrathin transparent conducting material.