Electrical and optoelectronic anisotropy and surface electron accumulation in ReS₂ nanostructures

Two interesting electronic transport properties including in-plane anisotropy and nonhomogeneous carrier distribution were observed in ReS₂ nanoflakes. The electrical conductivity defined by the current parallel to the b-axis (‖b) is 32 times higher than that perpendicular to the b-axis (⊥b). Similar anisotropy was also observed in optoelectronic properties in which the ratio of responsivity ‖b to ⊥b reaches 20. In addition, conductivity and thermal activation energy with substantial thickness dependence were observed, which indicates a surface-dominant 2D transport in ReS₂ nanoflakes. The presence of surface electron accumulation (SEA) in ReS₂ has been confirmed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The electron concentration (∼10¹⁹ cm⁻³) at the surface is over three orders of magnitude higher than that of the bulks. Sulfur vacancies which are sensitive to air molecules are suggested to be the major factor resulting in SEA and high conductivity in ReS₂ nanostructures.