One Pot, Environmentally Benign, Thermal Reaction to Fabricate WSe<sub>2</sub> and MoSe<sub>2</sub> Nanoplates

The two dimensional nanoplates of WSe2 and MoSe2 are the result of solid-state thermal (750oC) reaction between micrometer-sized W or Mo with micro-size Se powder under inert atmosphere via carving phenomena in a closed reactor. This is a distinct top-down approach presented for the fabrication of inorganic nanoplates, where micron-sized metal particles having very high melting and boiling points are converted into a Se–M–Se sandwich structure employing a single-step, scalable, and environmentally- friendly chemical reaction under autogenic pressure at elevated temperature (RAPET). The mechanistic elucidation of the creation of WSe2/MoSe2 nanoplates is suggested on the basis of the crystal structure with the support of data obtained from compositional, structural, and morphological characterizations.