Emergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2
Abstract The layer stacking order in 2D materials strongly affects functional properties and holds promise for next-generation electronic devices. In bulk, octahedral MoTe2 possesses two stacking arrangements, the ferroelectric Weyl semimetal Td phase and the higher-order topological insulator 1T′ p...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40528-y |
| _version_ | 1797558531289776128 |
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| author | James L. Hart Lopa Bhatt Yanbing Zhu Myung-Geun Han Elisabeth Bianco Shunran Li David J. Hynek John A. Schneeloch Yu Tao Despina Louca Peijun Guo Yimei Zhu Felipe Jornada Evan J. Reed Lena F. Kourkoutis Judy J. Cha |
| author_facet | James L. Hart Lopa Bhatt Yanbing Zhu Myung-Geun Han Elisabeth Bianco Shunran Li David J. Hynek John A. Schneeloch Yu Tao Despina Louca Peijun Guo Yimei Zhu Felipe Jornada Evan J. Reed Lena F. Kourkoutis Judy J. Cha |
| author_sort | James L. Hart |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The layer stacking order in 2D materials strongly affects functional properties and holds promise for next-generation electronic devices. In bulk, octahedral MoTe2 possesses two stacking arrangements, the ferroelectric Weyl semimetal Td phase and the higher-order topological insulator 1T′ phase. However, in thin flakes of MoTe2, it is unclear if the layer stacking follows the Td, 1T′, or an alternative stacking sequence. Here, we use atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy to directly visualize the MoTe2 layer stacking. In thin flakes, we observe highly disordered stacking, with nanoscale 1T′ and Td domains, as well as alternative stacking arrangements not found in the bulk. We attribute these findings to intrinsic confinement effects on the MoTe2 stacking-dependent free energy. Our results are important for the understanding of exotic physics displayed in MoTe2 flakes. More broadly, this work suggests c-axis confinement as a method to influence layer stacking in other 2D materials. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:31:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90b58514477d4e1c81a49c6d74822f97 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:31:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-90b58514477d4e1c81a49c6d74822f972023-11-20T09:59:08ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-08-011411910.1038/s41467-023-40528-yEmergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2James L. Hart0Lopa Bhatt1Yanbing Zhu2Myung-Geun Han3Elisabeth Bianco4Shunran Li5David J. Hynek6John A. Schneeloch7Yu Tao8Despina Louca9Peijun Guo10Yimei Zhu11Felipe Jornada12Evan J. Reed13Lena F. Kourkoutis14Judy J. Cha15Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell UniversitySchool of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Applied Physics, Stanford UniversityCondensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National LaboratoryKavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale UniversityEnergy Sciences Institute, Yale UniversityDepartment of Physics, University of VirginiaDepartment of Physics, University of VirginiaDepartment of Physics, University of VirginiaDepartment of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale UniversityCondensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National LaboratoryDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford UniversitySchool of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell UniversityAbstract The layer stacking order in 2D materials strongly affects functional properties and holds promise for next-generation electronic devices. In bulk, octahedral MoTe2 possesses two stacking arrangements, the ferroelectric Weyl semimetal Td phase and the higher-order topological insulator 1T′ phase. However, in thin flakes of MoTe2, it is unclear if the layer stacking follows the Td, 1T′, or an alternative stacking sequence. Here, we use atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy to directly visualize the MoTe2 layer stacking. In thin flakes, we observe highly disordered stacking, with nanoscale 1T′ and Td domains, as well as alternative stacking arrangements not found in the bulk. We attribute these findings to intrinsic confinement effects on the MoTe2 stacking-dependent free energy. Our results are important for the understanding of exotic physics displayed in MoTe2 flakes. More broadly, this work suggests c-axis confinement as a method to influence layer stacking in other 2D materials.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40528-y |
| spellingShingle | James L. Hart Lopa Bhatt Yanbing Zhu Myung-Geun Han Elisabeth Bianco Shunran Li David J. Hynek John A. Schneeloch Yu Tao Despina Louca Peijun Guo Yimei Zhu Felipe Jornada Evan J. Reed Lena F. Kourkoutis Judy J. Cha Emergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2 Nature Communications |
| title | Emergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2 |
| title_full | Emergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2 |
| title_fullStr | Emergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2 |
| title_short | Emergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2 |
| title_sort | emergent layer stacking arrangements in c axis confined mote2 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40528-y |
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