2D Materials with a Twist

 


New work is published in the Physical Review Materials journal. Antonija Grubisic-Cabo and her colleges at the University of Groningen have been studying 2D materials. 2D materials are sheets that are one atom thick. They have a myriad of electronic properties. If two sheets are placed on top of each other at specific angles, they can have new properties like superconductivity. 

The team studied sheets of tungsten disulfide. When a bilayer or two sheets are stacked at an angle of 4.4°, the electrons will show a collective behavior.

Giovanna Feraco is first author of the study. She reports about the electrons, “ When they are so closely connected, their collective behavior can create new fascinating effects.” 

The scientists did not see this collective behavior in experiments. It can only be explained by the reactions between atoms in the bilayer.  Feraco summarizes, “…by studying the electronic substructure in the bilayer, we discovered that this material tends to ‘relax’ into large and twisted regions. The twisted layer changes to a low energy untwisted arrangement.”

The study shows how theoretical sheets from the bilayer formed different regions with varying properties. The study also enhanced researchers ability to predict and change how 2D structures behave. 

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