Zhussupbekov Kuanysh, Cullen Conor P, Zhussupbekova Ainur, Shvets Igor V, Duesberg Georg S, McEvoy Niall, Ó Coileáin Cormac
School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin Dublin 2 Ireland
AMBER Centre, CRANN Institute, Trinity College Dublin Dublin 2 Ireland
RSC Adv. 2020 Nov 17;10(69):42001-42007. doi: 10.1039/d0ra07405e.
We employ a combination of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) to investigate the properties of layered PtS, synthesised thermally assisted conversion (TAC) of a metallic Pt thin film. STM measurements reveal the 1T crystal structure of PtS, and the lattice constant is determined to be 3.58 ± 0.03 Å. STS allowed the electronic structure of individual PtS crystallites to be directly probed and a bandgap of ∼1.03 eV was determined for a 3.8 nm thick flake at liquid nitrogen temperature. These findings substantially expand understanding of the atomic and electronic structure of PtS and indicate that STM is a powerful tool capable of locally probing non-uniform polycrystalline films, such as those produced by TAC. Prior to STM/STS measurements the quality of synthesised TAC PtS was analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. These results are of relevance to applications-focussed studies centred on PtS and may inform future efforts to optimise the synthesis conditions for thin film PtS.
我们采用扫描隧道显微镜（STM）和扫描隧道谱（STS）相结合的方法，来研究通过金属铂薄膜的热辅助转化（TAC）合成的层状PtS的性质。STM测量揭示了PtS的1T晶体结构，其晶格常数确定为3.58±0.03 Å。STS能够直接探测单个PtS微晶的电子结构，在液氮温度下，对于一个3.8 nm厚的薄片，确定其带隙约为1.03 eV。这些发现极大地扩展了对PtS原子和电子结构的理解，并表明STM是一种强大的工具，能够局部探测不均匀的多晶薄膜，如通过TAC制备的薄膜。在进行STM/STS测量之前，通过X射线光电子能谱（XPS）和拉曼光谱对合成的TAC PtS的质量进行了分析。这些结果与以PtS为中心的应用导向研究相关，并可能为未来优化薄膜PtS合成条件的努力提供参考。
