Controllable growth of two-dimensional NbSe₂ flakes with irregular geometries under ion etching

Nanostructured NbSe₂ has gained enormous interest in recent decades owning to its exotic properties and potential applications. Although two-dimensional (2D) NbSe₂ structures have been successfully synthesized on various substrates, it remains a great challenge to prepare NbSe₂ nanostructures with high edge-to-surface ratio, which is highly desirable for potential applications in catalysis. Here, we demonstrate that 2D NbSe₂ with irregular geometries can be controllably grown on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite substrates via tuning the subtle balance between growth and ion etching. Atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to characterize the morphology and composition of the as-grown NbSe₂ flakes. Our work highlights the important role of ion etching and paves the way for the growth of 2D materials with various geometries.