Phase control and lateral heterostructures of MoTe₂ epitaxially grown on graphene/Ir(111)

Engineering the growth of the different phases of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs) is a promising way to exploit their potential since the phase determines their physical and chemical properties. Here, we report on the epitaxial growth of monolayer MoTe₂ on graphene on an Ir(111) substrate. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy provide insights into the structural and electronic properties of the different polymorphic phases, which remain decoupled from the substrate due to the weak interaction with graphene. In addition, we demonstrate a great control of the relative coverage of the relevant 1T' and 1H MoTe₂ phases by varying the substrate temperature during the growth. In particular, we obtain large areas of the 1T' phase exclusively or the coexistence of both phases with different ratios.