On-Site Synthesis and Characterizations of Atomically-Thin Nickel Tellurides with Versatile Stoichiometric Phases...

Self-intercalation of native metal atoms in two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides has received rapidly increasing interest, due to the generation of intriguing structures and exotic physical properties, however, only reported in limited materials systems. An emerging type-II Dirac semimetal, NiTe₂, has inspired great attention at the 2D thickness region, but has been rarely achieved so far. Herein, we report the direct synthesis of mono- to few-layer Ni-tellurides including 1T-NiTe₂ and Ni-rich stoichiometric phases on graphene/SiC(0001) substrates under ultra-high-vacuum conditions. Differing from previous chemical vapor deposition growth accompanied with transmission electron microscopy imaging, this work combines precisely tailored synthesis with on-site atomic-scale scanning tunneling microscopy observations, offering us visual information about the phase modulations of Ni-tellurides from 1T-phase NiTe₂ to self-intercalated Ni₃Te₄ and Ni₅Te₆. The synthesis of Ni self-intercalated NiTe compounds is explained to be mediated by the high metal chemical potential under Ni-rich conditions, according to density functional theory calculations. More intriguingly, the emergence of superconductivity in bilayer NiTe₂ intercalated with 50% Ni is also predicted, arising from the enhanced electron-phonon coupling strength after the self-intercalation. This work provides insight into the direct synthesis and stoichiometric phase modulation of 2D layered materials, enriching the family of self-intercalated materials and propelling their property explorations.