Dopant distribution in two-dimensional semiconductors is typically assumed to be stochastic, limiting deterministic defect engineering. Here, we show that non-equilibrium growth kinetics can be harnessed to define dopant-driven strain architectures in vanadium-doped WS2 monolayers. Using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence, we identify preferential vanadium incorporation, anti-correlated with tungsten content, along crystallographic bisectors. An adsorption-growth-diffusion model with a single kinetic parameter quantitatively captures the dopant segregation arising from preferential corner adsorption and limited diffusion during chemical vapor deposition growth. Hyperspectral Raman imaging demonstrates mechanically induced vibrational responses, revealing localized tensile strain (ε≈0.70%) channels associated with the anisotropic dopant distribution. This regime is marked by the depletion of W-site-sensitive in-plane modes and the emergence of a localized J2 mode (210~cm−1), which our ab-initio calculations attribute to antiphase V−V oscillations. These findings establish kinetic segregation as a route to deterministic chemical and strain architectures in 2D semiconductors, enabling programmable defect landscapes and strain engineering during synthesis.
@article{arxiv.2605.13577,
title = {Anisotropic Dopant and Strain Architectures in WS$_2$ Nanocrystals Driven by Growth Kinetics},
author = {Frederico B. Sousa and Raphaela de Oliveira and Matheus J. S. Matos and Elizabeth Grace Houser and Igor Ferreira Curvelo and Zhuohang Yu and Mingzu Liu and Felipe Menescal and Gilmar Eugenio Marques and Leandro M. Malard and Mauricio Terrones and Bruno R. Carvalho and Helio Chacham and Marcio D. Teodoro},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.13577},
year = {2026}
}