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Structural and quantum-state phase transitions in van der Waals layered materials

Nature Physics volume 13, pages 931–937 (2017)Cite this article

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An Erratum to this article was published on 05 December 2017

An Erratum to this article was published on 05 December 2017

This article has been updated

Abstract

Van der Waals layered transition metal dichalcogenides can exist in many different atomic and electronic phases. Such diverse polymorphisms not only provide a route for investigating novel topological states, such as quantum spin Hall insulators, superconductors and Weyl semimetals, but may also have applications in fields ranging from electronic and optical/quantum devices to electrochemical catalysis. And the methods for triggering robust phase transitions between polymorphs are evolving and diversifying—several growth processes, high-pressure/strain methods, and optical, electronic and chemical treatments have been developed. Here, we discuss recent progress on phase transitions and the related physics in layered materials, and demonstrate unique features compared with conventional solid-state materials.

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Figure 1: Transition and correlation between phase and physics in TMDs.
Figure 2: Structures of single-layer TMDs.
Figure 3: Superconductivity and topological phase transitions in TMDs.
Figure 4: Homojunction for transistors and hydrogen-production applications.
Figure 5: MIT in 2D TMDs.

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Change history

  • 10 November 2017

    In the version of this Progress Article originally published, one of the t2g states in Fig. 2a was missing; there should have been three. This has now been corrected.

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Acknowledgements

H.Y. acknowledges support from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) under grant no. NRF-2017R1A2B2008366. S.W.K. acknowledges support from the Creative Materials Discovery Program through the NRF funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2015M3D1A1070639). Y.H.L. acknowledges support from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS-R011-D1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Energy Science, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, 16419, Korea

    Heejun Yang, Sung Wng Kim & Young Hee Lee

  2. Materials Science and Engineering, Rutgers University, 607 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, USA

    Manish Chhowalla

  3. Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon, 16419, Korea

    Young Hee Lee

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Correspondence to Heejun Yang, Sung Wng Kim or Young Hee Lee.

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Yang, H., Kim, S., Chhowalla, M. et al. Structural and quantum-state phase transitions in van der Waals layered materials. Nature Phys 13, 931–937 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys4188

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