Unconventional non-local relaxation dynamics in a twisted trilayer graphene moiré superlattice

The electronic and structural properties of atomically thin materials can be controllably tuned by assembling them with an interlayer twist. During this process, constituent layers spontaneously rearrange themselves in search of a lowest energy configuration. Such relaxation phenomena can lead to un...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2022-12, Vol.13 (1), p.7587-7587, Article 7587
Main Authors: Halbertal, Dorri, Turkel, Simon, Ciccarino, Christopher J., Profe, Jonas B., Finney, Nathan, Hsieh, Valerie, Watanabe, Kenji, Taniguchi, Takashi, Hone, James, Dean, Cory, Narang, Prineha, Pasupathy, Abhay N., Kennes, Dante M., Basov, D. N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/357/1018
639/925/918/1053
Assembling
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
Domains
Energy
Graphene
Humanities and Social Sciences
Interlayers
Material properties
Mechanical and structural properties and devices
multidisciplinary
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Spectroscopy
Stacking
Superlattices
Two-dimensional materials
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Summary:The electronic and structural properties of atomically thin materials can be controllably tuned by assembling them with an interlayer twist. During this process, constituent layers spontaneously rearrange themselves in search of a lowest energy configuration. Such relaxation phenomena can lead to unexpected and novel material properties. Here, we study twisted double trilayer graphene (TDTG) using nano-optical and tunneling spectroscopy tools. We reveal a surprising optical and electronic contrast, as well as a stacking energy imbalance emerging between the moiré domains. We attribute this contrast to an unconventional form of lattice relaxation in which an entire graphene layer spontaneously shifts position during assembly, resulting in domains of ABABAB and BCBACA stacking. We analyze the energetics of this transition and demonstrate that it is the result of a non-local relaxation process, in which an energy gain in one domain of the moiré lattice is paid for by a relaxation that occurs in the other. In moiré materials, structural relaxation phenomena can lead to unexpected and novel material properties. Here, the authors characterize an unconventional non-local relaxation process in twisted double trilayer graphene, in which an energy gain in one domain of the moiré lattice is paid for by a relaxation that occurs in the other.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-35213-5