Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Bilayers of two-dimensional van der Waals materials that lack an inversion center can show a novel form of ferroelectricity, where certain stacking arrangements of the two layers lead to an interlayer polarization. Under an external out-of-plane electric field, a relative sliding between the two layers can occur, accompanied by an interlayer charge transfer and a ferroelectric switching. We show that the domain walls that mediate ferroelectric switching are a locus of strong attractive interactions between electrons. The attraction is mediated by the ferroelectric domain wall fluctuations, effectively driven by the soft interlayer shear phonon. We comment on the possible relevance of this attraction mechanism to the recent observation of an interplay between sliding ferroelectricity and superconductivity in bilayer T_{d}-MoTe_{2}. We also discuss the possible role of this mechanism in the superconductivity of moiré bilayers.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: Gaurav Chaudhary, Ivar Martin
Institutions: University of Cambridge, Argonne National Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,750
OpenAlex ID: W4405239207