Rhenium diselenide is an

inorganic compound An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''. Inorgan ...

with the formula ReSe₂. It has a layered structure where atoms are strongly bonded within each layer. The layers are held together by weak Van der Waals bonds, and can be easily peeled off from the bulk material.

Synthesis

Rhenium diselenide with a thickness as small as a triple-atomic layer can be produced by

chemical vapor deposition Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a vacuum deposition method used to produce high-quality, and high-performance, solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films. In typical CVD, the wafer (electro ...

at ambient pressure. A mixture of Ar and hydrogen gases is flown through a tube whose ends are kept at different temperatures. The substrate and ReO₃ powder are placed at the hot end which is heated to 750 °C, and

selenium Selenium is a chemical element; it has symbol (chemistry), symbol Se and atomic number 34. It has various physical appearances, including a brick-red powder, a vitreous black solid, and a grey metallic-looking form. It seldom occurs in this elem ...

powder is located at the cold end which is kept at 250 °C. :2 ReO₃ + 7 Se → 2 ReSe₂ + 3 SeO₂

Properties

As most other dichalcogenides of transition metals, rhenium diselenide has a layered structure where atoms are strongly bonded within each layer and the layers are held together by weak Van der Waals bonds. However, while most other layered dichalcogenides have a high (hexagonal) symmetry, ReSe₂ has a very low triclinic symmetry, and this symmetry does not change from the bulk to monolayers.

References

{{Selenides Rhenium(IV) compounds Selenides Transition metal dichalcogenides Monolayers