Controlled fractal growth of transition metal dichalcogenides

Abstract

We report controlled fractal growth of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) by chemical vapor deposition, with morphological evolution from dendritic to triangular. Several important growth parameters controlling the fractal dimensions were identified, including the relaxation rate, adhesion coefficient, diffusion anisotropy and growth time. A model based on nucleation, diffusion limited aggregation and relaxation was proposed to explain the morphological evolution. The results of the computational simulation based on this model are in good agreement with the experimental results. Our study sheds light on the growth mechanism of TMDCs and paves the way for growth of TMDCs with improved controllability.