Strong dichroic emission in the pseudo one dimensional material ZrS₃

Zirconium trisulphide (ZrS₃), a member of the layered transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) family, has been studied by angle-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy (ARPLS). The synthesized ZrS₃ layers possess a pseudo one-dimensional nature where each layer consists of ZrS₃ chains extending along the b-lattice direction. Our results show that the optical properties of few-layered ZrS₃ are highly anisotropic as evidenced by large PL intensity variation with the polarization direction. Light is efficiently absorbed when the E-field is polarized along the chain (b-axis), but the field is greatly attenuated and absorption is reduced when it is polarized vertical to the 1D-like chains as the wavelength of the exciting light is much longer than the width of each 1D chain. The observed PL variation with polarization is similar to that of conventional 1D materials, i.e., nanowires, and nanotubes, except for the fact that here the 1D chains interact with each other giving rise to a unique linear dichroism response that falls between the 2D (planar) and 1D (chain) limit. These results not only mark the very first demonstration of PL polarization anisotropy in 2D systems, but also provide novel insight into how the interaction between adjacent 1D-like chains and the 2D nature of each layer influences the overall optical anisotropy of pseudo-1D materials. Results are anticipated to have an impact on optical technologies such as polarized detectors, near-field imaging, communication systems, and bio-applications relying on the generation and detection of polarized light.