Structure and photoluminescence of molybdenum selenide nanomaterials grown by hot filament chemical vapor deposition

Abstract Molybdenum selenide nanomaterials with different structures are synthesized on silicon substrates coated with gold films by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) in nitrogen environment, where molybdenum trioxide and selenium powders are used as source materials. The structure and composition of the synthesized molybdenum selenide nanomaterials are studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that the structures of molybdenum selenide change from nanoflakes to nanoparticles with the increase of content of molybdenum trioxide precursor. The photoluminescence (PL) excitation using the 325 nm line of He-Cd laser as the excitation source generates green light with the wavelength of about 512-516 nm. The formation of molybdenum selenide nanomaterials is determined by the decomposition rates of molybdenum trioxide in HFCVD. The possible factors that affect the generation of green PL bands are analyzed. These outcomes of this work enrich our knowledge on the synthesis of transition metal dichalcogenides and contribute to the development of applications of these materials in optoelectronic devices.