Janus MoSSe Nanotubes on 1D SWCNT-BNNT van der Waals Heterostructure

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) Janus transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) layers with broken mirror symmetry exhibit giant Rashba splitting and unique excitonic behavior. For their one-dimensional (1D) counterparts, the Janus nanotubes possess curvature, which introduces an additional degree of freedom to break the structural symmetry. This can potentially enhance these effects or even give rise to novel properties. Moreover, Janus MSSe nanotubes (M = W, Mo), with diameters surpassing 40 Å and Se positioned externally consistently demonstrate lower energy states compared to their Janus monolayer counterparts. However, there are limited studies on the preparation of Janus nanotubes, due to the synthesis challenge and limited sample quality. In this study, we first synthesized MoS₂ nanotubes on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) heterostructures and then explored the growth of Janus MoSSe nanotubes from MoS₂ nanotubes at room temperature with the assistance of H₂ plasma. The successful formation of the Janus structure is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, and atomic structure and elemental distribution of the grown samples are further characterized by advanced electronic microscopy. The synthesis of Janus MoSSe nanotubes based on SWCNT-BNNT heterostructures paves the way for further exploration of novel properties in Janus TMDC nanotubes.