arXiv subjects

Zhihai Cheng

Publications and source records attributed to Zhihai Cheng.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Local probe of the interlayer coupling strength of few-layers SnSe by contact-resonance atomic force microscopy

The interlayer bonding in two dimensional materials is particularly important because it is not only related to their physical and chemical stability but also affects their mechanical, thermal, electronic, optical, and other properties. To address this issue, we report the direct characterization of the interlayer bonding in 2D SnSe using contact-resonance atomic force microscopy in this study. Site specific CR spectroscopy and CR force spectroscopy measurements are performed on both SnSe and its supporting SiO2 substrate comparatively. Based on the cantilever and contact mechanic models, the contact stiffness and vertical Young's modulus are evaluated in comparison with SiO2 as a reference material. The interlayer bonding of SnSe is further analyzed in combination with the semi-analytical model and density functional theory calculations. The direct characterization of interlayer interactions using this nondestructive methodology of CR AFM would facilitate a better understanding of the physical and chemical properties of 2D layered materials, specifically for interlayer intercalation and vertical heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Two ultra-stable novel allotropes of Tellurium few-layers

At least four two- or quasi-one- dimensional allotropes and a mixture of them were theoretically predicted or experimentally observed for low-dimensional Te, namely the α, \b{eta}, γ, δ and chiral-α+δ phases. Among them the γ and α phases were found the most stable phases for monolayer and thicker layers, respectively. Here, we found two novel low-dimensional phases, namely the ε and ζ phases. The ζ phase is over 29 meV/Te more stable than and the ε phase shows comparable stability with the most stable monolayer γ phase. The energetic difference between the ζ and α phases reduces with respect to the increased layer thickness and vanishes at the four-layer (12-sublayer) thickness, while this thickness increases under change doping. Both ε and ζ phases are metallic chains and layers, respectively. The ζ phase, with very strong interlayer coupling, shows quantum well states in its layer-dependent bandstructures. These results provide significantly insight into the understanding of polytypism in Te few-layers and may boost tremendous studies on properties of various few-layer phases.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Charge tunable structural phase transitions in few-layer tellurium: a step toward building mono-elemental devices

Recently, a covalent-like quasi-bonding was unveiled for the inter-chain interaction in a promising semiconductor, few-layer Tellurium. Such quasi-bond offers comparable bond lengths and strengths with those of a typical Te-Te covalent bond, which may lead to much easier transformations between the quasi-bonds and the covalent bonds. Here, we show a few structural phase-transitions among four Te allotropes in few-layer Te under charge doping. In particular, the semiconducting α-phase can transform into a smaller-bandgap β-phase, even-smaller-bandgap γ-phase and then metallic δ-phase in a Te bilayer. In a tri-layer, a metallic chiral α+δ phase is more stable under initial electron doping, leading to the appearance of chirality. Variations of electronic structures aside, these transitions are accompanied by the emergence or elimination of inversion centers (α-β, α-γ, α-α+δ), structural anisotropy (α-γ, γ-δ) and chirality (α-α+δ), which could result in substantial changes in optical and other properties. In light of this, this work opens the possibility toward building mono-elemental electronic and optoelectronic heterostructures or devices. It also offers a platform for studying relations between charge doping and electric/optical properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Quasi-freestanding monolayer heterostructure of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride on Ir(111) with a chiral boundary

Monolayer lateral heterostructure of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BNC) has attracted a growing attention mainly due to its tunable band-gap character and unique physical properties at interface. Hereby, we reported the first-time synthesis of a nearly freestanding h-BNC hybrid on a weakly coupled substrate of Ir (111), where graphene and h-BN possessing different surface heights and corrugations formed a perfect monolayer hybrid. With the aid of scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), we demonstrated that h-BN can patch alongside the boundary of pre-deposited graphene domains and vice versa to form a seamless monolayer hybrid, with the realization of predominant zigzag type chiral boundaries at the interface. Density-functional theory calculations and STM/STS measurements aided us to reveal that this interface between graphene and h-BN were atomically sharp in aspects of the chemical bonding as well as the local electronic property from both theoretical and experimental points of view.

physics.chem-ph↗