arXiv subjects

Laurent Molino

Publications and source records attributed to Laurent Molino.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Locally resolved electronic textures of reconstruction domains in marginally twisted monolayer-bilayer graphene

Controlling the stacking and rotational registry of graphene layers provides a powerful handle on atomic-scale structural reconstructions that alter the electronic landscape at the nanoscale. In particular, this governs how massless and massive Dirac fermions coexist and interact at the monolayer-bilayer graphene interface. In the limit of marginal twist, the system reconstructs into domains of distinct vertical stacking order, introducing characteristic electronic properties and new electronic length scales, a regime that, despite its structural richness, remains largely unexplored. Here, using scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, we demonstrate that at very low rotation angles the monolayer-bilayer graphene system relaxes into a network of three distinct stacking domains with individual electronic textures revealed through spatially resolved spectroscopic mapping and corroborated by computed local density of states. We report switching of the hierarchy of the tunnelling characteristics between Bernal and rhombohedral domains as a function of bias voltage. Furthermore, the measured spectroscopic maps exhibit theoretically anticipated domain wall 'twirling' around energetically unfavorable AAB stacking nodes, promoted by out-of-plane deformations. Our results shed light on fundamental structure-property relationships underpinning moiré-driven phenomena, opening new avenues for harnessing structural degrees of freedom in van der Waals heterostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Influence of atomic relaxations on the moiré flat band wavefunctions in antiparallel twisted bilayer WS$_{\text{2}}$

Twisting bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) gives rise to a periodic moiré potential resulting in flat electronic bands with localized wavefunctions and enhanced correlation effects. In this work, scanning tunneling microscopy is used to image a WS$_{2}$ bilayer twisted approximately $3^{\circ}$ off the antiparallel alignment. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals the presence of localized electronic states in the vicinity of the valence band onset. In particular, the onset of the valence band is observed to occur first in regions with a Bernal stacking in which S atoms are located on top of each other. In contrast, density-functional theory calculations on twisted bilayers which have been relaxed in vacuum predict the highest lying flat valence band to be localized in regions of AA' stacking. However, agreement with the experiment is recovered when the calculations are carried out on bilayers in which the atomic displacements from the unrelaxed positions have been reduced reflecting the influence of the substrate and finite temperature. This demonstrates the delicate interplay of atomic relaxations and the electronic structure of twisted bilayer materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Ferroelectric switching at symmetry-broken interfaces by local control of dislocation networks

Semiconducting ferroelectric materials with low energy polarisation switching offer a platform for next-generation electronics such as ferroelectric field-effect transistors. Ferroelectric domains at symmetry-broken interfaces of transition metal dichalcogenide films provide an opportunity to combine the potential of semiconducting ferroelectrics with the design flexibility of two-dimensional material devices. Here, local control of ferroelectric domains in a marginally twisted WS2 bilayer is demonstrated with a scanning tunneling microscope at room temperature, and their observed reversible evolution understood using a string-like model of the domain wall network. We identify two characteristic regimes of domain evolution: (i) elastic bending of partial screw dislocations separating smaller domains with twin stacking and (ii) formation of perfect screw dislocations by merging pairs of primary domain walls. We also show that the latter act as the seeds for the reversible restoration of the inverted polarisation. These results open the possibility to achieve full control over atomically thin semiconducting ferroelectric domains using local electric fields, which is a critical step towards their technological use.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗