Growth,characterization, and Raman spectra of the 1T phases of TiTe2, TiSe2, and TiS2

High-quality large 1$T$ phase of Ti$X_2$ ($X ={\rm Te}$, Se, and S) single crystals have been grown by chemical vapor transport using iodine as a transport agent. The samples are characterized by compositional and structural analyses, and their properties are investigated by Raman spectroscopy. Several phonon modes have been observed, including the widely reported $A_{1g}$ and $E_g$ modes, the rarely reported $E_u$ mode ($\sim$183 cm$^{-1}$ for TiTe$_2$, and $\sim$185 cm$^{-1}$ for TiS$_2$), and even the unexpected $K$ mode ($\sim$85 cm$^{-1}$) of TiTe$_2$. Most phonons harden with the decrease of temperature, except that the $K$ mode of TiTe$_2$ and the $E_u$ and "$A_{2u}$/Sh" modes of TiS$_2$ soften with the decrease of temperature. In addition, we also found phonon changes in TiSe$_2$ that may be related to charge density wave phase transition. Our results on Ti$X_2$ phonons will help to understand their charge density wave and superconductivity.