Grain boundaries in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors generally induce distorted band alignment and interfacial charge, which impair their electronic properties for device applications. Here, we report the improvement of band alignment at the grain boundaries of PtSe2, a 2D semiconductor, with selective adsorption of a presentative organic acceptor, tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). TCNQ molecules show selective adsorption at the PtSe2 grain boundary with strong interfacial charge. The adsorption of TCNQ distinctly improves the band alignment at the PtSe2 grain boundaries. With the charge transfer between the grain boundary and TCNQ, the local charge is inhibited, and the band bending at the grain boundary is suppressed, as revealed by the scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S) results. Our finding provides an effective method for the advancement of the band alignment at the grain boundary by functional molecules, improving the electronic properties of 2D semiconductors for their future applications.
Emerging functionalities in two-dimensional materials, such as ferromagnetism,superconductivity and ferroelectricity, open new avenues for promising nanoelectronic applications.Here, we report the discovery of intrinsic in-plane room-temperature ferroelectricity in two-dimensional Bi2TeO5 grown by chemical vapor deposition, where spontaneous polarization originates from Bi column displacements. We found an intercalated buffer layer consist ofmixed
Bi/Te column as 180° domain wall which enables facile polarized domain engineering, including continuously tunable domain width by pinning different concentration of buffer layers, and even ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transition when the polarization unit is pinned down to single atomic column. More interestingly, the intercalated Bi/Te buffer layer can interconvert to polarized Bi columns which end up with series terraced domain walls and unusual fan-shaped ferroelectric domain. The buffer layer induced size and shape tunable ferroelectric domain in two-dimensional Bi2TeO5 offer insights into the manipulation of functionalities in van der Waals materials for future nanoelectronics.
Advanced exfoliation techniques are crucial for exploring the intrinsic properties and applications of 2D materials. Though the recently discovered Au-enhanced exfoliation technique provides an effective strategy for the preparation of large-scale 2D crystals, the high cost of gold hinders this method from being widely adopted in industrial applications. In addition, direct Au contact could significantly quench photoluminescence (PL) emission in 2D semiconductors. It is therefore crucial to find alternative metals that can replace gold to achieve efficient exfoliation of 2D materials. Here, the authors present a one-step Ag-assisted method that can efficiently exfoliate many large-area 2D monolayers, where the yield ratio is comparable to Au-enhanced exfoliation method. Differing from Au film, however, the surface roughness of as-prepared Ag films on SiO2/Si substrate is much higher, which facilitates the generation of surface plasmons resulting from the nanostructures formed on the rough Ag surface. More interestingly, the strong coupling between 2D semiconductor crystals (e.g., MoS2, MoSe2) and Ag film leads to a unique PL enhancement that has not been observed in other mechanical exfoliation techniques, which can be mainly attributed to enhanced light-matter interaction as a result of extended propagation of surface plasmonic polariton (SPP). This work provides a lower-cost and universal Ag-assisted exfoliation method, while at the same time offering enhanced SPP-matter interactions. DOI:10.1002/advs.202204247
Deping Guo#, Pengjie Guo#, Shijing Tan, Min Feng, Limin Cao, Zheng-Xin Liu*, Kai Liu*,
Zhong-Yi Lu, Wei Ji*
Abstract
Dirac nodal-line semimetals (DNLSMs) host novel quasiparticle excitations and intriguing transport properties, which are, however, easily perturbed under strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC), especially in low-dimensions. Two-dimensional (2D) layers have numerous advantages and are under continuous development; however, 2D-DNLSMs resistant to SOC are yet to be discovered. Here, we report the C_2v×Z_2^T little co-group, a non-symmorphic symmetry we found in 2D, guarantees a robust 2D-DNLSM against SOC, which could be imposed in three-atomic-layer (3-AL) Bismuth (the brick phase, a novel Bi allotrope) and other layered materials. Intriguingly, (4n+2) valence electrons fill the electronic bands in 3-AL Bi, such that the nodal line passes the Fermi level where other low-energy states are gapped, allowing feasible observation of DNLSM-induced phenomena without interference from other bands in future transport measurements. Thus, our study demonstrates an unprecedented category of layered materials, allowing for the exploration of nearly isolated DNL states in 2D.
Abstract: Magnetic topological insulators (MTIs) have received considerable attention owing to the demonstration of various quantum phenomena, such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect and topological magnetoelectric effect. The intrinsic superlatticelike layered MTIs MnBi2Te4/(Bi2Te3)n have been extensively investigated mainly through transport measurements; however, a direct investigation of their superlattice-sensitive magnetic behaviors is relatively rare. In this paper, we report a microscopic real space investigation of the magnetic phase behaviors in MnBi4Te7 using cryogenic magnetic force microscopy. The intrinsic robust A type antiferromagnetic (AFM), surface spin-flip (SSF) + AFM, ferromagnetic (FM) + SSF + AFM, and forced FM phases are sequentially visualized via the increased external magnetic field, consistent with the magnetic behavior in the M-H curve. The temperature-dependent magnetic phase evolution behaviors are further investigated to obtain a complete H-T phase diagram of MnBi4Te7. Tentative local phase manipulation via the stray field of the magnetic tip is demonstrated by transforming the AFM into the FM phase in the surface layers of MnBi4Te7. Our study provides key real-space ingredients for understanding the complicated magnetic, electronic, and topological properties of such intrinsic MTIs and suggests new directions for manipulating spin textures and locally controlling their exotic properties.
Mismatched lattice constants at a van der Waals epitaxy interface often introduce in-plane strains to the lattice of the epitaxial layer, termed epitaxy strain, wherein the strains do not follow the intralayer Poisson’s relation. In this study, we obtained the magnetic phase diagrams of CrSe2 and CrTe2 mono- and bilayers under epitaxy strain up to 8%, as predicted using density functional theory calculations. The magnetic phase diagrams indicate that the in-plane epitaxy strain manipulates either the intra- or interlayer magnetism. The in-plane strain varies the interlayer distance, defined using an interlayer Poisson’s ratio, which determines whether the interlayer magnetism follows a Bethe–Slater curve-like (BSC-like) or a reversed BSC-like behavior, depending on the in-plane magnetism. The tunability of the intralayer magnetism is a result of competing intralayer Cr–Cr superexchange interactions. A graphene substrate was introduced to examine the validity of our diagrams in practice. This study also afforded a tentative explanation on the previously reported magnetizations in CrSe2 and CrTe2 epitaxial mono- or bilayers under epitaxy strains, which had given rise to some controversy.
