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Title: Prediction of intrinsic two-dimensional ferroelectrics in In2Se3 and other III2-VI3 van der Waals materials

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14956· OSTI ID:1489368
 [1];  [2];  [1]; ORCiD logo [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China). Dept. of Physics, International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), and Key Lab. of Strongly-Coupled Quantum Matter Physics
  2. Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China). Dept. of Physics, International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD), and Key Lab. of Strongly-Coupled Quantum Matter Physics; Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing (China)
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering; Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Materials Science & Technology Division
  4. Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Dept. of Physics
  5. Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
  6. Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China). International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials (ICQD)

Interest in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials has grown rapidly across multiple scientific and engineering disciplines in recent years. However, ferroelectricity, the presence of a spontaneous electric polarization, which is important in many practical applications, has rarely been reported in such materials so far. Here we employ first-principles calculations to discover a branch of the 2D materials family, based on In2Se3 and other III2-VI3 van der Waals materials, that exhibits room-temperature ferroelectricity with reversible spontaneous electric polarization in both out-of-plane and in-plane orientations. The device potential of these 2D ferroelectric materials is further demonstrated using the examples of van der Waals heterostructures of In2Se3/graphene, exhibiting a tunable Schottky barrier, and In2Se3/WSe2, showing a significant band gap reduction in the combined system. Lastly, these findings promise to substantially broaden the tunability of van der Waals heterostructures for a wide range of applications.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
1489368
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 8; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 669 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Intrinsic Half‐Metallicity in 2D Ternary Chalcogenides with High Critical Temperature and Controllable Magnetization Direction journal February 2019
Nonvolatile Ferroelectric Memory Effect in Ultrathin α‐In 2 Se 3 journal February 2019
Ultrafast Electrochemical Synthesis of Defect‐Free In 2 Se 3 Flakes for Large‐Area Optoelectronics journal January 2020
Recent Progress in 2D Layered III–VI Semiconductors and their Heterostructures for Optoelectronic Device Applications journal May 2019
High Bipolar Conductivity and Robust In-Plane Spontaneous Electric Polarization in Selenene journal November 2018
2D Diluted Multiferroic Semiconductors upon Intercalation journal April 2019
Switchable Out‐of‐Plane Polarization in 2D LiAlTe 2 journal March 2019
Recent Progress in Two‐Dimensional Ferroelectric Materials journal November 2019
Van der Waals Contact to 2D Semiconductors with a Switchable Electric Dipole: Achieving Both n‐ and p‐Type Ohmic Contacts to Metals with a Wide Range of Work Functions journal December 2019
Solution-Processable Two-Dimensional In 2 Se 3 Nanosheets as Efficient Photothermal Agents for Elimination of Bacteria journal November 2018
Emerging in‐plane anisotropic two‐dimensional materials journal March 2019
Planar Direction‐Dependent Interfacial Properties in Monolayer In 2 Se 3 –Metal Contacts journal September 2019
The rise of two-dimensional van der Waals ferroelectrics journal May 2018
Progress and prospects in low-dimensional multiferroic materials journal January 2019
The emerging ferroic orderings in two dimensions journal November 2019
Stable and switchable electric polarization in two dimensions journal July 2018
Room-temperature ferroelectricity in MoTe2 down to the atomic monolayer limit journal April 2019
Multiferroicity in atomic van der Waals heterostructures journal June 2019
Van der Waals negative capacitance transistors journal July 2019
Two-dimensional materials with piezoelectric and ferroelectric functionalities journal June 2018
A ferroelectric semiconductor field-effect transistor journal December 2019
Peculiar electronic, strong in-plane and out-of-plane second harmonic generation and piezoelectric properties of atom-thick α-M 2 X 3 (M = Ga, In; X = S, Se): role of spontaneous electric dipole orientations journal January 2017
New monolayer ternary In-containing sesquichalcogenides BiInSe 3 , SbInSe 3 , BiInTe 3 , and SbInTe 3 with high stability and extraordinary piezoelectric properties journal January 2018
Valley polarization and ferroelectricity in a two-dimensional GaAsC 6 monolayer journal January 2019
2D library beyond graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides: a focus on photodetection journal January 2018
Intrinsic multiferroicity in two-dimensional VOCl 2 monolayers journal January 2019
Self-doped p–n junctions in two-dimensional In 2 X 3 van der Waals materials journal January 2020
Niobium oxide dihalides NbOX 2 : a new family of two-dimensional van der Waals layered materials with intrinsic ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity journal January 2019
Realizing giant tunneling electroresistance in two-dimensional graphene/BiP ferroelectric tunnel junction journal January 2019
Robust two-dimensional ferroelectricity in single-layer γ-SbP and γ-SbAs journal January 2019
Unconventional inner-TL electric polarization in TL-LaOBiS 2 with ultrahigh carrier mobility journal January 2019
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Atomic-scale mapping of interface reconstructions in multiferroic heterostructures journal December 2018
Room-temperature out-of-plane and in-plane ferroelectricity of two-dimensional β-InSe nanoflakes journal June 2019
Electric field control of the semiconductor-metal transition in two dimensional CuInP 2 S 6 /germanene van der Waals heterostructure journal June 2019
Tuning ferroelectricity by charge doping in two-dimensional SnSe journal January 2020
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Out-of-plane spontaneous polarization and superior photoelectricity in two-dimensional SiSn journal November 2019
In 2 Se 3 nanosheets with broadband saturable absorption used for near-infrared femtosecond laser mode locking journal September 2019
Photodetector based on heterostructure of two-dimensional WSe 2 /In 2 Se 3 journal November 2019
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Pyroelectric response and temperature-induced α - β phase transitions in α -In 2 Se 3 and other α -III 2 VI 3 (III  =  Al, Ga, In; VI  =  S, Se) monolayers journal January 2019
Rashba splitting in bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides controlled by electronic ferroelectricity journal October 2019
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Room temperature in-plane ferroelectricity in van der Waals In 2 Se 3 journal July 2018
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