Fabricating two-dimensional nanostructured tellurium thin films via pyrolyzing a single-source molecular precursor

A simple route to fabricate tellurium (Te) thin film with a well-defined two-dimensional nanostructure is presented in this study. The method involves dip-coating and subsequently pyrolyzing a single-source molecular precursor diethyldithiocarbamato tellurium (TDEC) onto a glass substrate. The pyrolysis temperature and the initial thickness (đ) of TDEC film exhibited strong influence on the morphology of Te film, where films composed of uniform Te nanoflakes have been obtained at 440 °C and đ ≈ 490 nm. Investigations on the thermodynamic properties of TDEC through thermogravimetry, differential thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques suggest that the production of Te from TDEC features random and continuous nucleation, shedding light on the possible growth mechanism of the two-dimensional Te film.