Quantum Composites with Charge-Density-Wave Fillers.

A unique class of advanced materials-quantum composites based on polymers with fillers composed of a van der Waals quantum material that reveals multiple charge-density-wave quantum condensate phases-is demonstrated. Materials that exhibit quantum phenomena are typically crystalline, pure, and have few defects because disorder destroys the coherence of the electrons and phonons, leading to collapse of the quantum states. The macroscopic charge-density-wave phases of filler particles after multiple composite processing steps are successfully preserved in this work. The prepared composites display strong charge-density-wave phenomena even above room temperature. The dielectric constant experiences more than two orders of magnitude enhancement while the material maintains its electrically insulating properties, opening a venue for advanced applications in energy storage and electronics. The results present a conceptually different approach for engineering the properties of materials, extending the application domain for van der Waals materials.

Electrical Gating of the Charge-Density-Wave Phases in Two-Dimensional h-BN/1T-TaS2 Devices.

We report on the electrical gating of the charge-density-wave phases and current in h-BN-capped three-terminal 1T-TaS2 heterostructure devices. It is demonstrated that the application of a gate bias can shift the source-drain current-voltage hysteresis associated with the transition between the nearly commensurate and incommensurate charge-density-wave phases. The evolution of the hysteresis and the presence of abrupt spikes in the current while sweeping the gate voltage suggest that the effect is electrical rather than self-heating. We attribute the gating to an electric-field effect on the commensurate charge-density-wave domains in the atomic planes near the gate dielectric. The transition between the nearly commensurate and incommensurate charge-density-wave phases can be induced by both the source-drain current and the electrostatic gate. Since the charge-density-wave phases are persistent in 1T-TaS2 at room temperature, one can envision memory applications of such devices when scaled down to the dimensions of individual commensurate domains and few-atomic plane thicknesses.