Tuning the Optical, Magnetic, and Electrical Properties of ReSe₂ by Nanoscale Strain Engineering

Abstract

Creating materials with ultimate control over their physical properties is vital for a wide range of applications. From a traditional materials design perspective, this task often requires precise control over the atomic composition and structure. However, owing to their mechanical properties, low-dimensional layered materials can actually withstand a significant amount of strain and thus sustain elastic deformations before fracture. This, in return, presents a unique technique for tuning their physical properties by "strain engineering". Here, we find that local strain induced on ReSe2, a new member of the transition metal dichalcogenides family, greatly changes its magnetic, optical, and electrical properties. Local strain induced by generation of wrinkle (1) modulates the optical gap as evidenced by red-shifted photoluminescence peak, (2) enhances light emission, (3) induces magnetism, and (4) modulates the electrical properties. The results not only allow us to create materials with vastly different properties at the nanoscale, but also enable a wide range of applications based on 2D materials, including strain sensors, stretchable electrodes, flexible field-effect transistors, artificial-muscle actuators, solar cells, and other spintronic, electromechanical, piezoelectric, photonic devices.

Strain engineering in semiconducting two-dimensional crystals

“…The inhomogeneous uniaxial straining has been also applied to modify the bandstructure of ReSe 2 by Yang et al [95]. In this work, the role of strain on the electrical and magnetic properties of ReSe 2 is also explored using the same wrinkling method.…”

Recent Advances in Two-Dimensional Materials with Charge Density Waves: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

“…The choice of substrates can lead to distinct degrees of charge transfer and may also instigate mechanical instability, which leads to a change in carrier mobility and can be harmful for device processing [95]. Substrates can steer to modification of the band gap [96], along with indirect-to-direct band gap [97], modulation in the optical band gap and introduction of magnetism [98]. R. Zhao et al reported tuning the phase transitions in 1T-TaS 2 on different substrates [99], revealing that doping and charge transfer from the substrate have a minimal effect on CDW phase transitions, but substrate surface roughness is a predominant external factor on C-CDW transition temperature and hysteresis.…”

Recent Advances in Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices Based on Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

“…Mo 1L:~1.8-1.9 eV (D) Bulk: 1.2 eV (I) [10] 1L: 1.34 eV (D)(T) [11] 1L: 1.58 eV (D)(E) [12] Bulk: 1.1 eV (I)(E) [13] Bulk: 1.1 eV (I)(T) [14] 1L: 1.07 eV (D)(T) [15] 1L: 1.1 eV (D)(E) [16] Bulk: 1.0 eV (I)(E) [17] 0.82 eV (I)(T) [18] W 1L: 1.94 eV (D)(T) [19] 1L: 2.14 eV (D)(E) [20] Bulk: 1.35 eV (I)(E) [21] 1L: 1.74 eV (D)(T) [19] 1L: 1.65 eV (D)(E) [22] Bulk: 1.1 eV (I)(D) [23] Bulk: 1.2 eV (I)(E) [21] 1L: 1.14 eV (D)(T) [19] Bulk: 0.7 eV (I)(T) [23] Re 1L: 1.43 eV (D)(T) [24] 1L: 1.55 eV (D)(E) [24] Bulk: 1.35 eV (D)(T) [24] Bulk: 1.47 eV (D)(E) [25] 1L: 1.34 eV (I)(T) [26] 1L: 1.239 eV (D)(T) [27] 1L: 1.47 eV (I)(E) [28] 2L: 1.165 eV (D)(T) [27] 2L: 1.32 eV (I)(E) [29] 4L: 1.092 eV (D)(T) [27] Bulk: 1.06 eV (I)(T) [26] Bulk: 1.18 (I)(E) [30] …”