Using graphene to suppress the selenization of Pt for controllable fabrication of monolayer PtSe₂

Platinum diselenide (PtSe₂) is a promising transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) material with unique properties. It is necessary to find a controllable fabrication method to bridge PtSe₂ with other two-dimensional (2D) materials for practical applications, which has rarely been reported so far. Here, we report that the selenization of Pt(111) can be suppressed to form a Se intercalated layer, instead of a PtSe₂ monolayer, by inducing confined conditions with a precoating of graphene. Experiments with graphene-island samples demonstrate that the monolayer PtSe₂ can be controllably fabricated only on the bare Pt surface, while the Se intercalated layer is formed underneath graphene, as verified by atomic-resolution observations with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). In addition, the orientation of the graphene island shows a negligible influence on the Se intercalated layer induced by the graphene coating. By extending the application of 2D confined reactions, this work provides a new method to control the fabrication and pattern 2D materials during the fabrication process.