Two‐Dimensional Tellurium Nanosheets Exhibiting an Anomalous Switchable Photoresponse with Thickness Dependence

Abstract

AbstractTwo‐dimensional (2D) tellurium (Te) was recently predicted to be promising for diverse electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, the synthesis of high‐quality 2D Te structures remains challenging, which greatly hinders the exploration of its full properties. Herein, an anomalous photoresponse from negative to positive as a function of thickness in Te nanosheets is reported. Ultrathin Te layers with large size and clean interface were obtained through a topotactic transformation, in which the 2D Te structure was derived from a layered MTe2 (M=Ti, Mo, W) matrix by excessive lithiation. Prominently, the photoresponse in Te nanosheets exhibits negative behavior when the thickness is less than 5 nm, which turns positive as the thickness increases. This unusual photoresponse will shed light on the full exploration of 2D non‐layered materials with exotic properties.