Size-Dependent Electrical Transport in ZrSe₃-Stripes

The anisotropy in the form of quasi one-dimensional (1D) chains in transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) makes them stand out compared to other more conventional two-dimensional (2D) materials. Here, we experimentally investigated the electrical properties of stripes of the TMTC ZrSe3, particularly in regard to their width and thickness. For this, we compared narrow samples with wider samples where both have a comparably similar length and thickness and found that the conductivity happens dominantly in the outer selenium atoms, i.e., across the chains, showcasing the in-plane electrical anisotropy of ZrSe3. Comparing stripes of different thicknesses shows a drastic increase in band gap energy from 0.37 eV up to 0.63 eV for thinner samples.