Moiré Patterns in 2D Materials: A Review

ACS Nano. 2021 Apr 27;15(4):5944-5958. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.0c10435. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Abstract

Quantum materials have attracted much attention in recent years due to their exotic and incredible properties. Among them, van der Waals materials stand out due to their weak interlayer coupling, providing easy access to manipulating electrical and optical properties. Many fascinating electrical, optical, and magnetic properties have been reported in the moiré superlattices, such as unconventional superconductivity, photonic dispersion engineering, and ferromagnetism. In this review, we summarize the methods to prepare moiré superlattices in the van der Waals materials and focus on the current discoveries of moiré pattern-modified electrical properties, recent findings of atomic reconstruction, as well as some possible future directions in this field.

Keywords: atomic reconstruction; domain walls; hydrostatic pressure; magnetism; mechanical strain; moiré exciton; moiré superlattice; unconventional ferroelectricity; unconventional superconductivity; van der Waals materials.