High-quality-factor viscoelastic nanomechanical resonators from moiré superlattices

Qin-Yang Zeng, Gui-Xin Su, Ai-Sheng Song, Xin-Yu Mei, Zhi-Yue Xu, Yue Ying, Zhuo-Zhi Zhang, Xiang-Xiang Song, Guang-Wei Deng, Joel Moser (), Tian-Bao Ma, Ping-Heng Tan () and Xin Zhang ()
Additional contact information
Qin-Yang Zeng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Gui-Xin Su: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ai-Sheng Song: Tsinghua University
Xin-Yu Mei: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhi-Yue Xu: Tsinghua University
Yue Ying: University of Science and Technology of China
Zhuo-Zhi Zhang: University of Science and Technology of China
Xiang-Xiang Song: University of Science and Technology of China
Guang-Wei Deng: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Joel Moser: Soochow University
Tian-Bao Ma: Tsinghua University
Ping-Heng Tan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xin Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The moiré superlattice, created by stacking van der Waals layered materials with rotational misalignments, exhibits a multitude of emergent correlated phenomena ranging from superconductivity to Mott insulating states. In addition to exotic electronic states, the intricate networks of incommensurate lattices may give rise to polymer-like viscoelasticity, which combines the properties of both elastic solids and viscous fluids. This phenomenon may enrich the dynamics of nanomechanical resonators, in which viscoelasticity has not played a role thus far. Here, we report on a controllable hysteretic response of the nanomechanical vibrations in twisted bilayer graphene membranes, which we attribute to viscoelasticity. Accompanying this hysteretic response, we measure unusually large mechanical quality factors Q reaching a remarkably high value of ~1900 at room temperature. We interpret the enhancement of Q as a signature of dissipation dilution, a phenomenon of considerable interest that has recently been harnessed in quantum optomechanical systems. Viscoelasticity features a “lossless” potential that overcomes the corrugation registry and reinforces such a dissipation dilution. Our work introduces the moiré superlattice as a promising system for viscoelasticity engineering through rotating angles and for observing emergent nanoelectromechanical couplings.

Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58981-2 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-58981-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58981-2

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().