Synthesis of high-crystalline ReS₂ monolayers by sodium-assisted chemical vapor deposition.

This article focuses on the controlled synthesis of large-area, high-quality rhenium disulfide (ReS₂) monolayers using a sodium chloride (NaCl)-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The study demonstrates that sodium ions (Na⁺), rather than chloride ions (Cl⁻), play a crucial catalytic role by lowering the energy barrier for Re–Re chain formation, thereby promoting anisotropic in-plane growth and suppressing out-of-plane island growth. Characterization techniques confirm the monolayer nature and high crystalline quality of the ReS₂ films, while density functional theory calculations elucidate the growth mechanism facilitated by Na⁺ adsorption. Electrical measurements of field-effect transistors based on these ReS₂ monolayers reveal promising semiconductor properties, supporting their potential application in high-performance electronics.