Room-temperature ferroelectricity in MoTe2 down to the atomic monolayer limit

Shuoguo Yuan, Xin Luo, Hung Lit Chan, Chengcheng Xiao, Yawei Dai, Maohai Xie and Jianhua Hao ()
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Shuoguo Yuan: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Xin Luo: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hung Lit Chan: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Chengcheng Xiao: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Yawei Dai: The University of Hong Kong
Maohai Xie: The University of Hong Kong
Jianhua Hao: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Ferroelectrics allow for a wide range of intriguing applications. However, maintaining ferroelectricity has been hampered by intrinsic depolarization effects. Here, by combining first-principles calculations and experimental studies, we report on the discovery of robust room-temperature out-of-plane ferroelectricity which is realized in the thinnest monolayer MoTe2 with unexploited distorted 1T (d1T) phase. The origin of the ferroelectricity in d1T-MoTe2 results from the spontaneous symmetry breaking due to the relative atomic displacements of Mo atoms and Te atoms. Furthermore, a large ON/OFF resistance ratio is achieved in ferroelectric devices composed of MoTe2-based van der Waals heterostructure. Our work demonstrates that ferroelectricity can exist in two-dimensional layered material down to the atomic monolayer limit, which can result in new functionalities and achieve unexpected applications in atomic-scale electronic devices.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09669-x

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