Controllable growth of large 1T-NbTe2 nanosheets on mica by chemical vapor deposition and its magnetic properties

•We successfully synthesized 1T-NbTe2 nanosheets on mica by chemical vapor deposition.•The lateral size of NbTe2 nanosheets is up to 151 µm and their thickness is as low as ≈10 nm. In addition, the lateral size of nanosheets grown on mica substrates is approximately 3 times larger than those grown on SiO2/Si substrates.•Temperature-dependent magnetization show as-grown NbTe2 nanosheets demonstrate ferromagnetic properties with a high Curie temperature of up to 162 K.•To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to report a Curie temperature of NbTe2 nanosheets on mica. Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials have recently attracted broad attention for their potential technological applications. Here, we report controllable growth of NbTe2 nanosheets on mica substrate by atmospheric chemical vapor deposition. Different from the SiO2/Si substrates, dangling bonds on the surface of the mica are absent, which induces low nucleation density and higher lateral growth rate. As a result, the lateral size of NbTe2 nanosheets on mica substrates can be significantly larger than those on SiO2/Si substrates. Large single crystal NbTe2 nanosheets with a lateral size of up to 151 µm were fabricated on a mica. High-resolution transmission electron microscope image, XRD patterns and Raman spectra reveal the NbTe2 nanosheets adopt the single crystal with 1T phase. Furthermore, the NbTe2 nanosheets on mica demonstrate ferromagnetic properties with a Curie temperature of up to 162 K. Our work paves the way for the atmospheric chemical vapor deposition growth and applications of many more 2D magnets.