Lattice Transformation from 2-D to Quasi 1-D and Phonon Properties of Exfoliated ZrS2 and ZrSe2

We investigate the thermal properties of these Zirconium based materials using confocal Raman spectroscopy. We observed 2 different and distinctive Raman signatures for exfoliated ZrX2 (where X = S or Se). These Raman modes generally depend on the shape of the exfoliated nanosheets, regardless of the incident laser polarization. These 2 shapes are divided into 2D- ZrX2 and quasi 1D- ZrX2. For 2D- ZrX2, Raman modes are in alignment with those reported in literature. However, for quasi 1D-ZrX2, we show that Raman modes are identical to exfoliated ZrX3 nanosheets, indicating a major lattice transformation from 2D to quasi-1D. We also measure thermal properties of each resonant Raman mode for each ZrX2 shape. Based on our measurements, most Raman modes exhibit a linear downshift dependence with temperature. However, for ZrS2, we see an upshift (blueshift) with temperature for A1g mode, which is attributed to non-harmonic effects caused by dipolar coupling with IR-active modes. Moreover, the observed temperature dependence coefficient for some phonon modes of quasi 1D-ZrX2 differ dramatically, which can be caused by the quasi 1D lattice. Finally, we measure phonon dynamics under optical heating for each of 2D-ZrX2 and quasi 1D-ZrX2 and show phonon confinement in quasi 1D-ZrX2 nanosheets. We extract the thermal conductivity and the interfacial thermal conductance for each of 2D-ZrX2 and quasi 1D-ZrX2 nanosheets. Our calculations indicate lower interfacial thermal conductance for quasi 1D-ZrX2 compared to 2D-ZrX2, which can be attributed to the phonon confinement in 1D. Based on our model, we show low thermal conductivity for all ZrX2 nanosheets. Our results demonstrate exceptional thermal properties for ZrX2 materials, making them ideal for future thermal management strategies and thermoelectric device applications.