Stacking fault, microtopography and thermal decomposition studies of CrxW1−xSe2 (x=0.25, 0.50, 0.75) single crystals

• It is quite possible to grow CrxW1−x Se2 single crystals using iodine as a transporting agent at a high temperature.
• Using the X-ray diffraction all the lattice parameters, unit cell volume, crystallite size, strain and dislocation density have been also evaluated.
• Optical microtopography images clearly show that crystals are plate like and screw dislocations takes place on the surface.
• TGA and DTA were carried and all the possible kinetic parameters have been calculated using P–N and C–R relations.

The single crystals of CrxW1−xSe2 (x=0.25, 0.50, 0.75) have been grown by the chemical vapour transport (CVT) technique using iodine as a transporting agent. The structural characterisation of these crystals has been made by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The lattice parameters, unit cell volume, crystallite size, strain and dislocation densities have also been evaluated for these new crystals. The estimation of growth and deformation fault probabilities is further calculated. The grown crystals were examined under an optical zoom microscope for their surface topography. Thermo gravimetry analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG) were carried for the CVT grown CrxW1−xSe2 single crystals. The different kinetic parameters: entropy, enthalpy and Gibbs free energy were calculated using Piloyan–Novikova (P–N) and Coats–Redfern (C–R) relations.