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Title: Elastic and electronic tuning of magnetoresistance in MoTe2

Abstract

Quasi–two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides exhibit dramatic properties that may transform electronic and photonic devices. We report on how the anomalously large magnetoresistance (MR) observed under high magnetic field in MoTe2, a type II Weyl semimetal, can be reversibly controlled under tensile strain. The MR is enhanced by as much as ~30% at low temperatures and high magnetic fields when uniaxial strain is applied along the a crystallographic direction and reduced by about the same amount when strain is applied along the b direction. We show that the large in-plane electric anisotropy is coupled with the structural transition from the 1T' monoclinic to the Td orthorhombic Weyl phase. A shift of the Td-1T' phase boundary is achieved by minimal tensile strain. The sensitivity of the MR to tensile strain suggests the possibility of a nontrivial spin-orbital texture of the electron and hole pockets in the vicinity of Weyl points. Our ab initio calculations show a significant orbital mixing on the Fermi surface, which is modified by the tensile strains.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States). Dept. of Physics
  2. Ames Lab. and Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1499951
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-01ER45927
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Science Advances
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 3; Journal Issue: 12; Journal ID: ISSN 2375-2548
Publisher:
AAAS
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS

Citation Formats

Yang, Junjie, Colen, Jonathan, Liu, Jun, Nguyen, Manh Cuong, Chern, Gia-wei, and Louca, Despina. Elastic and electronic tuning of magnetoresistance in MoTe2. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aao4949.
Yang, Junjie, Colen, Jonathan, Liu, Jun, Nguyen, Manh Cuong, Chern, Gia-wei, & Louca, Despina. Elastic and electronic tuning of magnetoresistance in MoTe2. United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao4949
Yang, Junjie, Colen, Jonathan, Liu, Jun, Nguyen, Manh Cuong, Chern, Gia-wei, and Louca, Despina. 2017. "Elastic and electronic tuning of magnetoresistance in MoTe2". United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao4949. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1499951.
@article{osti_1499951,
title = {Elastic and electronic tuning of magnetoresistance in MoTe2},
author = {Yang, Junjie and Colen, Jonathan and Liu, Jun and Nguyen, Manh Cuong and Chern, Gia-wei and Louca, Despina},
abstractNote = {Quasi–two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides exhibit dramatic properties that may transform electronic and photonic devices. We report on how the anomalously large magnetoresistance (MR) observed under high magnetic field in MoTe2, a type II Weyl semimetal, can be reversibly controlled under tensile strain. The MR is enhanced by as much as ~30% at low temperatures and high magnetic fields when uniaxial strain is applied along the a crystallographic direction and reduced by about the same amount when strain is applied along the b direction. We show that the large in-plane electric anisotropy is coupled with the structural transition from the 1T' monoclinic to the Td orthorhombic Weyl phase. A shift of the Td-1T' phase boundary is achieved by minimal tensile strain. The sensitivity of the MR to tensile strain suggests the possibility of a nontrivial spin-orbital texture of the electron and hole pockets in the vicinity of Weyl points. Our ab initio calculations show a significant orbital mixing on the Fermi surface, which is modified by the tensile strains.},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aao4949},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1499951}, journal = {Science Advances},
issn = {2375-2548},
number = 12,
volume = 3,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Fri Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}

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Cited by: 31 works
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Figures / Tables:

Fig. 1. Fig. 1.: Structure and transport. (A) Crystal structure of MoTe2 in the 1T′ phase projected on the ab plane, with the zigzag chains marked running along the b axis. (B) Unit cell of the 1T′ and Td structures projected on the ac plane. (C) Plot of the resistivity, ρ(T), alongmore » the b axis with ε∥b. The kink around 240 K is evidence of the structural phase transition from the 1T′ to Td phase. (D) Derivative of dρ(T)/dT calculated from (C). (E) Strain dependence of TS1(ε) − TS1(ε = 0) on cooling (left axis) and TS2(ε) − TS2(ε = 0) on warming (right axis). TS1/TS2 are the maximum obtained from the dρ(T)/dT derivative on cooling and warming cycles. (F) Strain dependence of the width of the thermal hysteresis, defined as HW(ε) − HW(0) = [TS2(ε) −εTS1(ε)] − [TS2(ε = 0) − TS1(ε = 0)], with ε applied along a and b directions.« less

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Works referenced in this record:

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Metal Oxide Nanocomposites: A Perspective from Strain, Defect, and Interface
journal, October 2018


Polar and phase domain walls with conducting interfacial states in a Weyl semimetal MoTe2
journal, September 2019


Electronic band tuning under pressure in MoTe2 topological semimetal
journal, August 2019


An ultrafast symmetry switch in a Weyl semimetal
journal, January 2019


Origin of extremely large magnetoresistance in the candidate type-II Weyl semimetal MoTe2−x
journal, September 2018


Mechanical properties of monolayer ternary transitional metal dichalogenides MoS 2 x Te 2(1 −  x ) : A molecular dynamics study
journal, December 2019


Emergence of topologically protected states in the MoTe 2 Weyl semimetal with layer-stacking order
journal, April 2019


Optical evidence of the type-II Weyl semimetals MoTe 2 and WTe 2
journal, May 2019


Spin-Resolved Electronic Response to the Phase Transition in MoTe 2
journal, October 2018


Mechanical control of crystal symmetry and superconductivity in Weyl semimetal MoTe 2
journal, July 2018


Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.