Tin Diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) Van der Waals Semiconductor: Surface Chemical Reactivity, Ambient Stability, Chemical and Optical Sensors
Tin diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) is a layered semiconductor with broad application capabilities in the fields of energy storage, photocatalysis, and photodetection. Here, we correlate the physicochemical properties of this van der Waals semiconductor to sensing applications for detectin...
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2022-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/3/1154 |
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| author | Gianluca D'Olimpio Daniel Farias Chia-Nung Kuo Luca Ottaviano Chin Shan Lue Danil W. Boukhvalov Antonio Politano |
| author_facet | Gianluca D'Olimpio Daniel Farias Chia-Nung Kuo Luca Ottaviano Chin Shan Lue Danil W. Boukhvalov Antonio Politano |
| author_sort | Gianluca D'Olimpio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tin diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) is a layered semiconductor with broad application capabilities in the fields of energy storage, photocatalysis, and photodetection. Here, we correlate the physicochemical properties of this van der Waals semiconductor to sensing applications for detecting chemical species (chemosensors) and millimeter waves (terahertz photodetectors) by combining experiments of high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with density functional theory. The response of the pristine, defective, and oxidized SnSe<sub>2</sub> surface towards H<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>O, H<sub>2</sub>S, NH<sub>3</sub>, and NO<sub>2</sub> analytes was investigated. Furthermore, the effects of the thickness were assessed for monolayer, bilayer, and bulk samples of SnSe<sub>2</sub>. The formation of a sub-nanometric SnO<sub>2</sub> skin over the SnSe<sub>2</sub> surface (self-assembled SnO<sub>2</sub>/SnSe<sub>2</sub> heterostructure) corresponds to a strong adsorption of all analytes. The formation of non-covalent bonds between SnO<sub>2</sub> and analytes corresponds to an increase of the magnitude of the transferred charge. The theoretical model nicely fits experimental data on gas response to analytes, validating the SnO<sub>2</sub>/SnSe<sub>2</sub> heterostructure as a suitable playground for sensing of noxious gases, with sensitivities of 0.43, 2.13, 0.11, 1.06 [ppm]<sup>−1</sup> for H<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>S, NH<sub>3</sub>, and NO<sub>2,</sub> respectively. The corresponding limit of detection is 5 ppm, 10 ppb, 250 ppb, and 400 ppb for H<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>S, NH<sub>3</sub>, and NO<sub>2,</sub> respectively. Furthermore, SnSe<sub>2</sub>-based sensors are also suitable for fast large-area imaging applications at room temperature for millimeter waves in the THz range. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:35:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc1b193376714c80a01d2d1775c0e3d5 |
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| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:35:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-fc1b193376714c80a01d2d1775c0e3d52023-11-23T17:03:10ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-02-01153115410.3390/ma15031154Tin Diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) Van der Waals Semiconductor: Surface Chemical Reactivity, Ambient Stability, Chemical and Optical SensorsGianluca D'Olimpio0Daniel Farias1Chia-Nung Kuo2Luca Ottaviano3Chin Shan Lue4Danil W. Boukhvalov5Antonio Politano6Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyDepartamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, 1 Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan 70101, TaiwanDepartment of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyDepartment of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, 1 Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan 70101, TaiwanCollege of Science, Institute of Materials Physics and Chemistry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaDepartment of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyTin diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) is a layered semiconductor with broad application capabilities in the fields of energy storage, photocatalysis, and photodetection. Here, we correlate the physicochemical properties of this van der Waals semiconductor to sensing applications for detecting chemical species (chemosensors) and millimeter waves (terahertz photodetectors) by combining experiments of high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with density functional theory. The response of the pristine, defective, and oxidized SnSe<sub>2</sub> surface towards H<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>O, H<sub>2</sub>S, NH<sub>3</sub>, and NO<sub>2</sub> analytes was investigated. Furthermore, the effects of the thickness were assessed for monolayer, bilayer, and bulk samples of SnSe<sub>2</sub>. The formation of a sub-nanometric SnO<sub>2</sub> skin over the SnSe<sub>2</sub> surface (self-assembled SnO<sub>2</sub>/SnSe<sub>2</sub> heterostructure) corresponds to a strong adsorption of all analytes. The formation of non-covalent bonds between SnO<sub>2</sub> and analytes corresponds to an increase of the magnitude of the transferred charge. The theoretical model nicely fits experimental data on gas response to analytes, validating the SnO<sub>2</sub>/SnSe<sub>2</sub> heterostructure as a suitable playground for sensing of noxious gases, with sensitivities of 0.43, 2.13, 0.11, 1.06 [ppm]<sup>−1</sup> for H<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>S, NH<sub>3</sub>, and NO<sub>2,</sub> respectively. The corresponding limit of detection is 5 ppm, 10 ppb, 250 ppb, and 400 ppb for H<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>S, NH<sub>3</sub>, and NO<sub>2,</sub> respectively. Furthermore, SnSe<sub>2</sub>-based sensors are also suitable for fast large-area imaging applications at room temperature for millimeter waves in the THz range.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/3/1154van der Waals semiconductorsgas sensingtin diselenidedensity functional theory |
| spellingShingle | Gianluca D'Olimpio Daniel Farias Chia-Nung Kuo Luca Ottaviano Chin Shan Lue Danil W. Boukhvalov Antonio Politano Tin Diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) Van der Waals Semiconductor: Surface Chemical Reactivity, Ambient Stability, Chemical and Optical Sensors Materials van der Waals semiconductors gas sensing tin diselenide density functional theory |
| title | Tin Diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) Van der Waals Semiconductor: Surface Chemical Reactivity, Ambient Stability, Chemical and Optical Sensors |
| title_full | Tin Diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) Van der Waals Semiconductor: Surface Chemical Reactivity, Ambient Stability, Chemical and Optical Sensors |
| title_fullStr | Tin Diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) Van der Waals Semiconductor: Surface Chemical Reactivity, Ambient Stability, Chemical and Optical Sensors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tin Diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) Van der Waals Semiconductor: Surface Chemical Reactivity, Ambient Stability, Chemical and Optical Sensors |
| title_short | Tin Diselenide (SnSe<sub>2</sub>) Van der Waals Semiconductor: Surface Chemical Reactivity, Ambient Stability, Chemical and Optical Sensors |
| title_sort | tin diselenide snse sub 2 sub van der waals semiconductor surface chemical reactivity ambient stability chemical and optical sensors |
| topic | van der Waals semiconductors gas sensing tin diselenide density functional theory |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/3/1154 |
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