Feasible Route to High-Temperature Ambient-Pressure Hydride Superconductivity.

A key challenge in materials discovery is to find high-temperature superconductors. Hydrogen and hydride materials have long been considered promising materials displaying conventional phonon-mediated superconductivity. However, the high pressures required to stabilize these materials have restricted their application. Here, we present results from high-throughput computation, considering a wide range of high-symmetry ternary hydrides from across the periodic table at ambient pressure. This large composition space is then reduced by considering thermodynamic, dynamic, and magnetic stability before direct estimations of the superconducting critical temperature. This approach has revealed a metastable ambient-pressure hydride superconductor, Mg_{2}IrH_{6}, with a predicted critical temperature of 160 K, comparable to the highest temperature superconducting cuprates. We propose a synthesis route via a structurally related insulator, Mg_{2}IrH_{7}, which is thermodynamically stable above 15 GPa, and discuss the potential challenges in doing so.

Mild chemistry synthesis of ultrathin Bi2O2S nanosheets exhibiting 2D-ferroelectricity at room temperature.

Modern technology demands miniaturization of electronic components to build small, light, and portable devices. Hence, discovery and synthesis of new non-toxic, low cost, ultra-thin ferroelectric materials having potential applications in various electronic and optoelectronic devices are of paramount importance. However, achieving room-temperature ferroelectricity in two dimensional (2D) ultra-thin systems remains a major challenge as conventional three-dimensional ferroelectric materials lose their ferroelectricity when the thickness is brought down below a critical value owing to the depolarization field. Herein, we report room-temperature ferroelectricity in ultra-thin single-crystalline 2D nanosheets of Bi2O2S synthesized by a simple, rapid, and scalable solution-based soft chemistry method. The ferroelectric ground state of Bi2O2S nanosheets is confirmed by temperature-dependent dielectric measurements as well as piezoelectric force microscopy and spectroscopy. High resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis and density functional theory-based calculations suggest that the ferroelectricity in Bi2O2S nanosheets arises due to the local distortion of Bi2O2 layers, which destroys the local inversion symmetry of Bi2O2S.

High Thermoelectric Performance in Phonon-Glass Electron-Crystal Like AgSbTe2.

Achieving glass-like ultra-low thermal conductivity in crystalline solids with high electrical conductivity, a crucial requirement for high-performance thermoelectrics , continues to be a formidable challenge. A careful balance between electrical and thermal transport is essential for optimizing the thermoelectric performance. Despite this inherent trade-off, the experimental realization of an ideal thermoelectric material with a phonon-glass electron-crystal (PGEC) nature has rarely been achieved. Here, PGEC-like AgSbTe2 is demonstrated by tuning the atomic disorder upon Yb doping, which results in an outstanding thermoelectric performance with figure of merit, zT ≈ 2.4 at 573 K. Yb-doping-induced enhanced atomic ordering decreases the overlap between the hole and phonon mean free paths and consequently leads to a PGEC-like transport behavior in AgSbTe2 . A twofold increase in electrical mobility is observed while keeping the position of the Fermi level (EF ) nearly unchanged and corroborates the enhanced crystalline nature of the AgSbTe2 lattice upon Yb doping for electrical transport. The cation-ordered domains, lead to the formation of nanoscale superstructures (≈2 to 4 nm) that strongly scatter heat-carrying phonons, resulting in a temperature-independent glass-like thermal conductivity. The strategy paves the way for realizing high thermoelectric performance in various disordered crystals by making them amorphous to phonons while favoring crystal-like electrical transport.

Chemical Bonding Tuned Lattice Anharmonicity Leads to a High Thermoelectric Performance in Cubic AgSnSbTe3.

Comprehension of chemical bonding and its intertwined relation with charge carriers and heat propagation through a crystal lattice is imperative to design compounds for thermoelectric energy conversion. Here, we report the synthesis of large single crystal of new p-type cubic AgSnSbTe3 which shows an innately ultra-low lattice thermal conductivity (κlat ) of 0.47-0.27 Wm-1  K-1 and a high electrical conductivity (1238 - 800 S cm-1 ) in the temperature range 294-723 K. We investigated the origin of the low κlat by analysing the nature of the chemical bonding and its crystal structure. The interaction between Sn(5 s)/Ag(4d) and Te(5p) orbitals was found to generate antibonding states just below the Fermi level in the electronic band structure, resulting in a softening of the lattice in AgSnSbTe3 . Furthermore, the compound exhibits metavalent bonding which provides highly polarizable bonds with a strong lattice anharmonicity while maintaining the superior electrical conductivity. The electronic band structure exhibits nearly degenerate valence-band maxima that help to achieve a high Seebeck coefficient throughout the measured temperature range and, as a result, the maximum thermoelectric figure of merit reaches to ≈1.2 at 661 K in pristine single crystal of AgSnSbTe3 .

Above-Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in Thin van der Waals Flakes of Cobalt-Substituted Fe5GeTe2.

Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic van der Waals materials provide a powerful platform for studying the fundamental physics of low-dimensional magnetism, engineering novel magnetic phases, and enabling thin and highly tunable spintronic devices. To realize high-quality and practical devices for such applications, there is a critical need for robust 2D magnets with ordering temperatures above room temperature that can be created via exfoliation. Here, the study of exfoliated flakes of cobalt-substituted Fe5GeTe2 (CFGT) exhibiting magnetism above room temperature is reported. Via quantum magnetic imaging with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, ferromagnetism at room temperature was observed in CFGT flakes as thin as 16 nm corresponding to 16 layers. This result expands the portfolio of thin room-temperature 2D magnet flakes exfoliated from robust single crystals that reach a thickness regime relevant to practical spintronic applications. The Curie temperature Tc of CFGT ranges from 310 K in the thinnest flake studied to 328 K in the bulk. To investigate the prospect of high-temperature monolayer ferromagnetism, Monte Carlo calculations were performed, which predicted a high value of Tc of ∼270 K in CFGT monolayers. Pathways toward further enhancing monolayer Tc are discussed. These results support CFGT as a promising platform for realizing high-quality room-temperature 2D magnet devices.

Manipulating Edge Current in Hexagonal Boron Nitride via Doping and Friction.

We map spatially correlated electrical current on the stacking boundaries of pristine and doped hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to distinguish from its insulating bulk via conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM). While the pristine edges of hBN show an insulating nature, the O-doped edges reveal a current 2 orders of higher even for bulk layers where the direct transmission through tunnel barrier is implausible. Instead, the nonlinear current-voltage characteristics (I-V) at the edges of O-doped hBN can be explained by trap-assisted lowering of the tunnel barrier by adopting a Poole-Frenkel (PF) model. However, in the stacked heterostructure with multilayer graphene (MLG) on top, the buried edge of pristine hBN shows a signature of electron conduction in the scanning mode which contradicts the first-principle calculation of spatial distribution of local density of states (LDOS) data. Enhancement of friction between the Pt-tip and MLG at the step-edge of the heterostructure while scanning in the contact mode has prompted us to construct a phenomenological model where the localization of opposite surface charges on two conducting plates (MLG and Si substrate) containing a dielectric film (hBN) with negatively charged defects creates an internal electric field opposite to the external electric field due to the applied voltage bias in the CAFM setup. An equivalent circuit with a parallel resistor network based on a vertical conducting channel through the MLG/hBN edge and an in-plane surface carrier transport through MLG can successfully analyze the current maps on pristine/doped hBN and the related heterostructures. These results yield fundamental insight into the emerging field of insulatronics in which defect-induced electron transport along the edge can be manipulated in an 1D-2D synergized insulator.

Proximity Spin-Orbit Torque on a Two-Dimensional Magnet within van der Waals Heterostructure: Current-Driven Antiferromagnet-to-Ferromagnet Reversible Nonequilibrium Phase Transition in Bilayer CrI3.

The recently discovered two-dimensional magnetic insulator CrI3 is an intriguing case for basic research and spintronic applications since it is a ferromagnet in the bulk but an antiferromagnet in bilayer form, with its magnetic ordering amenable to external manipulations. Using the first-principles quantum transport approach, we predict that injecting unpolarized charge current parallel to the interface of the bilayer-CrI3/monolayer-TaSe2 van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure will induce spin-orbit torque and thereby drive the dynamics of magnetization on the first monolayer of CrI3 in direct contact with TaSe2. By combining the calculated complex angular dependence of spin-orbit torque with the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation for classical dynamics of magnetization, we demonstrate that current pulses can switch the direction of magnetization on the first monolayer to become parallel to that of the second monolayer, thereby converting CrI3 from antiferromagnet to ferromagnet while not requiring any external magnetic field. We explain the mechanism of this reversible current-driven nonequilibrium phase transition by showing that first monolayer of CrI3 carries current due to evanescent wave functions injected by metallic transition metal dichalcogenide TaSe2, while concurrently acquiring strong spin-orbit coupling via such a proximity effect, whereas the second monolayer of CrI3 remains insulating. The transition can be detected by passing vertical read current through the vdW heterostructure, encapsulated by a bilayer of hexagonal boron nitride and sandwiched between graphite electrodes, where we find a tunneling magnetoresistance of ≃240%.

Ultrathin Free-Standing Nanosheets of Bi2O2Se: Room Temperature Ferroelectricity in Self-Assembled Charged Layered Heterostructure.

Ultrathin ferroelectric semiconductors with high charge carrier mobility are much coveted systems for the advancement of various electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, in traditional oxide ferroelectric insulators, the ferroelectric transition temperature decreases drastically with decreasing material thickness and ceases to exist below certain critical thickness owing to depolarizing fields. Herein, we show the emergence of an ordered ferroelectric ground state in ultrathin (∼2 nm) single crystalline nanosheets of Bi2O2Se at room temperature. Free-standing ferroelectric nanosheets, in which oppositely charged alternating layers are self-assembled together by electrostatic interactions, are synthesized by a simple, rapid, and scalable wet chemical procedure at room temperature. The existence of ferroelectricity in Bi2O2Se nanosheets is confirmed by dielectric measurements and piezoresponse force spectroscopy. The spontaneous orthorhombic distortion in the ultrathin nanosheets breaks the local inversion symmetry, thereby resulting in ferroelectricity. The local structural distortion and the formation of spontaneous dipole moment were directly probed by atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory calculations.

Quantum Phase Transition in Few-Layer NbSe_{2} Probed through Quantized Conductance Fluctuations.

We present the first observation of dynamically modulated quantum phase transition between two distinct charge density wave (CDW) phases in two-dimensional 2H-NbSe_{2}. There is recent spectroscopic evidence for the presence of these two quantum phases, but its evidence in bulk measurements remained elusive. We studied suspended, ultrathin 2H-NbSe_{2} devices fabricated on piezoelectric substrates-with tunable flakes thickness, disorder level, and strain. We find a surprising evolution of the conductance fluctuation spectra across the CDW temperature: the conductance fluctuates between two precise values, separated by a quantum of conductance. These quantized fluctuations disappear for disordered and on-substrate devices. With the help of mean-field calculations, these observations can be explained as to arise from dynamical phase transition between the two CDW states. To affirm this idea, we vary the lateral strain across the device via piezoelectric medium and map out the phase diagram near the quantum critical point. The results resolve a long-standing mystery of the anomalously large spectroscopic gap in NbSe_{2}.

Proximity Band Structure and Spin Textures on Both Sides of Topological-Insulator/Ferromagnetic-Metal Interface and Their Charge Transport Probes.

The control of recently observed spintronic effects in topological-insulator/ferromagnetic-metal (TI/FM) heterostructures is thwarted by the lack of understanding of band structure and spin textures around their interfaces. Here we combine density functional theory with Green's function techniques to obtain the spectral function at any plane passing through atoms of Bi2Se3 and Co or Cu layers comprising the interface. Instead of naively assumed Dirac cone gapped by the proximity exchange field spectral function, we find that the Rashba ferromagnetic model describes the spectral function on the surface of Bi2Se3 in contact with Co near the Fermi level EF0, where circular and snowflake-like constant energy contours coexist around which spin locks to momentum. The remnant of the Dirac cone is hybridized with evanescent wave functions from metallic layers and pushed, due to charge transfer from Co or Cu layers, a few tenths of an electron-volt below EF0 for both Bi2Se3/Co and Bi2Se3/Cu interfaces while hosting distorted helical spin texture wounding around a single circle. These features explain recent observation of sensitivity of spin-to-charge conversion signal at TI/Cu interface to tuning of EF0. Crucially for spin-orbit torque in TI/FM heterostructures, few monolayers of Co adjacent to Bi2Se3 host spectral functions very different from the bulk metal, as well as in-plane spin textures (despite Co magnetization being out-of-plane) due to proximity spin-orbit coupling in Co induced by Bi2Se3. We predict that out-of-plane tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in Cu/Bi2Se3/Co vertical heterostructure can serve as a sensitive probe of the type of spin texture residing at EF0.

Spin-Polarized Tunneling through Chemical Vapor Deposited Multilayer Molybdenum Disulfide.

The two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted widespread attention for its extraordinary electrical-, optical-, spin-, and valley-related properties. Here, we report on spin-polarized tunneling through chemical vapor deposited multilayer MoS2 (∼7 nm) at room temperature in a vertically fabricated spin-valve device. A tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) of 0.5-2% has been observed, corresponding to spin polarization of 5-10% in the measured temperature range of 300-75 K. First-principles calculations for ideal junctions result in a TMR up to 8% and a spin polarization of 26%. The detailed measurements at different temperature, bias voltages, and density functional theory calculations provide information about spin transport mechanisms in vertical multilayer MoS2 spin-valve devices. These findings form a platform for exploring spin functionalities in 2D semiconductors and understanding the basic phenomena that control their performance.

Unusual Dirac Fermions on the Surface of a Noncentrosymmetric α-BiPd Superconductor.

Combining multiple emergent correlated properties such as superconductivity and magnetism within the topological matrix can have exceptional consequences in garnering new and exotic physics. Here, we study the topological surface states from a noncentrosymmetric α-BiPd superconductor by employing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. We observe that the Dirac surface states of this system have several interesting and unusual properties, compared to other topological surface states. The surface state is strongly anisotropic and the in-plane Fermi velocity varies rigorously on rotating the crystal about the y axis. Moreover, it acquires an unusual band gap as a function of k_{y}, possibly due to hybridization with bulk bands, detected upon varying the excitation energy. The coexistence of all the functional properties in addition to the unusual surface state characteristics make this an interesting material.

Quantum-confinement and Structural Anisotropy result in Electrically-Tunable Dirac Cone in Few-layer Black Phosphorous.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are well-known to exhibit interesting phenomena due to quantum confinement. Here, we show that quantum confinement, together with structural anisotropy, result in an electric-field-tunable Dirac cone in 2D black phosphorus. Using density functional theory calculations, we find that an electric field, E ext, applied normal to a 2D black phosphorus thin film, can reduce the direct band gap of few-layer black phosphorus, resulting in an insulator-to-metal transition at a critical field, Ec. Increasing E ext beyond Ec can induce a Dirac cone in the system, provided the black phosphorus film is sufficiently thin. The electric field strength can tune the position of the Dirac cone and the Dirac-Fermi velocities, the latter being similar in magnitude to that in graphene. We show that the Dirac cone arises from an anisotropic interaction term between the frontier orbitals that are spatially separated due to the applied field, on different halves of the 2D slab. When this interaction term becomes vanishingly small for thicker films, the Dirac cone can no longer be induced. Spin-orbit coupling can gap out the Dirac cone at certain electric fields; however, a further increase in field strength reduces the spin-orbit-induced gap, eventually resulting in a topological-insulator-to-Dirac-semimetal transition.

Spin-Valve Effect in NiFe/MoS2/NiFe Junctions.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been recently proposed as appealing candidate materials for spintronic applications owing to their distinctive atomic crystal structure and exotic physical properties arising from the large bonding anisotropy. Here we introduce the first MoS2-based spin-valves that employ monolayer MoS2 as the nonmagnetic spacer. In contrast with what is expected from the semiconducting band-structure of MoS2, the vertically sandwiched-MoS2 layers exhibit metallic behavior. This originates from their strong hybridization with the Ni and Fe atoms of the Permalloy (Py) electrode. The spin-valve effect is observed up to 240 K, with the highest magnetoresistance (MR) up to 0.73% at low temperatures. The experimental work is accompanied by the first principle electron transport calculations, which reveal an MR of ∼9% for an ideal Py/MoS2/Py junction. Our results clearly identify TMDs as a promising spacer compound in magnetic tunnel junctions and may open a new avenue for the TMDs-based spintronic applications.

Unusual stacking variations in liquid-phase exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenides.

Liquid-phase exfoliation of layered materials offers a large-scale approach toward the synthesis of 2D nanostructures. Structural properties of materials can however change during transition from bulk to the 2D state. Any such changes must be examined and understood for successful implementation of 2D nanostructures. In this work, we demonstrate nonbulk stacking sequences in the few-layer MoS2 and WS2 nanoflakes produced by liquid-phase exfoliation. Our analysis shows that nonbulk stacking sequences can be derived from its bulk counterparts by translational shifts of the layers. No structural changes within the layers were observed. Twenty-seven MoS2 and five WS2 nanoflakes were imaged and analyzed. Nine MoS2 and four WS2 nanoflakes displayed nonbulk stacking. Such dominance of the nonbulk stacking suggests high possibility of unusual stacking sequences in other 2D nanostructures. Notably, the electronic structure of some non bulk stacked bilayers presents characteristics which are uncommon to either the bulk phase or the single monolayer, for instance, a spin-split conduction band bottom. Our main characterization technique was annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, which offers direct and reliable imaging of atomic columns. The stacking characterization approach employed here can be readily applied toward other few-layer transition metal chalcogenides and oxides.

Electric field effects on armchair MoS2 nanoribbons.

Ab initio density functional theory calculations are performed to investigate the electronic structure of MoS(2) armchair nanoribbons in the presence of an external static electric field. Such nanoribbons, which are nonmagnetic and semiconducting, exhibit a set of weakly interacting edge states whose energy position determines the band gap of the system. We show that, by applying an external transverse electric field, E(ext), the nanoribbon band gap can be significantly reduced, leading to a metal-insulator transition beyond a certain critical value. Moreover, the presence of a sufficiently high density of states at the Fermi level in the vicinity of the metal-insulator transition leads to the onset of Stoner ferromagnetism that can be modulated, and even extinguished, by E(ext). In the case of bilayer nanoribbons we further show that the band gap can be changed from indirect to direct by applying a transverse field, an effect that might be of significance for opto-electronics applications.