Weakened interlayer coupling in two-dimensional MoSe₂ flakes with screw dislocations

The screw dislocations are intriguing defects that are often observed in natural and artificial materials. The dislocation spirals break the reflection and inversion symmetries of the lattices and modify the interlayer coupling in layer-structured materials, inducing additional complexity in layer stacking and thus novel properties in materials. Here, we report on the interlayer coupling of two-dimensional (2D) MoSe₂ flakes with screw dislocations by atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. By controlling the supersaturation conditions, 2D MoSe₂ flakes with screw dislocations are grown on amorphous SiO₂ substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). AFM measurements reveal that the interlayer spacing in such 2D MoSe₂ flakes with screw dislocation is slightly widened with respect to the normal AA- or AB-stacked ones due to the presence of the screw dislocations. Raman and PL spectra show that the interlayer coupling is weaker and thus the band gap is wider than that in the normal AA- or AB-stacked ones. Our work demonstrates that the interlayer coupling of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) flakes can be tuned by the induction of screw dislocations, which is very helpful for developing novel catalysts and electronic devices. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].