Studying the heterogeneity of the CrxTi1-xCh2 (Ch = S, Se) single crystals using X-ray scanning photoemission microscopy

The morphology of the heterogeneous CrxTi1-xSe2 and CrxTi1-xS2 single crystals has been studied using X-ray scanning photoemission microscopy (SPEM) and angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). A direct method of SPEM provided us the insight into the origin of the blurred ARPES images for Cr0.78Ti0.36Se2 single crystal. Using SPEM, we confirmed the formation of the CrSe2-based structural fragments inside the CrxTi1-xSe2 single crystals with x ≥ 0.75. The chemical composition of the forming structural fragments depends on the chalcogen (S, Se) forming the crystal lattice. [Display omitted] •CrxTi1-xCh2 (Ch = S, Se) single crystals have been studied using SPEM•Structural fragments with different composition are formed in both Se and S systems•The fragments can be in coherent relation with each other•The fragments in Cr0.78Ti0.36Se2 are TiSe2-based and CrSe2-based solid solutions•The fragments in Cr0.34Ti0.66S2 are CrxTi1-x+yS2-based solid solutions with different concentration y of superstoichiometric Ti