Vertical/Planar Growth and Surface Orientation of Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 Topological Insulator Nanoplates

Nanostructures are not only attractive for fundamental research but also offer great promise for bottom-up nanofabrications. In the past, the growth of one-dimensional vertical/planar nanomaterials such as nanowires has made significant progresses. However, works on two-dimensional nanomaterials are still lacking, especially for those grown out of a substrate. We report here a vertical growth of topological insulator, Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3, nanoplates on mica. In stark contrast to the general belief, these nanoplates are not prisms exposing (100) lateral surfaces, which are expected to minimize the surface area. Instead, they are frustums, enclosed by (01-4), (015), and (001) facets. First-principles calculations, combined with experiments, suggest the importance of surface oxidation in forming these unexpected surfaces.