Formation of a Two-Dimensional Electronic System in Laterally Assembled WTe Nanowires

One-dimensional (1D) transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) have recently attracted much attention because of their atomically thin, wire structures and superior conducting properties. These wires interact via van der Waals forces, aggregating into 1D crystals of different shapes with desired properties. However, relevant studies on their transport properties remain limited because of the lack of high-quality samples. Herein, we report the formation of a two-dimensional (2D) carrier gas in thin, ribbon-shaped bundles of laterally assembled WTe nanowires grown by chemical vapor deposition. Magnetoresistance measurements reveal that a single WTe bundle exhibits weak antilocalization and Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations at low temperatures. Angle-dependent SdH oscillations serve as evidence of the realization of a 2D carrier gas in the WTe bundle. The present findings indicate the versatility of TMC nanowires as building blocks to produce electronic systems of desired dimensionality for future functional electronic and energy-harvesting devices.