Figure 1. Scheme of materials synthesis, and structural and morphological characterizations.

(a) Schematic setup for the selenization of Mo film on soda-lime glass for few-layer MoSe₂ in a furnace tube; (b) Schematic illustration of the formation of few-layer MoSe₂ from body-centred cubic Mo, where the volume expansion occurs; (c) Cross-sectional SEM image of the MoSe₂ on Mo surface, inset showing an enlarged image with dotted line highlighting the borderline between MoSe₂ and Mo substrate; (d) SEM image of the surface morphology of the as-synthesized MoSe₂ nanostructures; (e) low magnification HRTEM image of the few-layer MoSe₂ on the surface of MoSe₂ nanostructures; (f) high magnification HRTEM image of the few-layer MoSe₂ with interlayer spacing of 0.63−0.64 nm. HRTEM micrographs in (e) and (f) courtesy of Man Hau Yeung.