Université de Fribourg

Structural phase transition and bandgap control through mechanical deformation in layered semiconductors 1T–ZrX2 (X = S, Se)

Martino, Edoardo ; Santos-Cottin, David ; Le Mardelé, Florian ; Semeniuk, Konstantin ; Pizzochero, Michele ; Čerņevičs, Kristia̅ns ; Baptiste, Benoît ; Delbes, Ludovic ; Klotz, Stefan ; Capitani, Francesco ; Berger, Helmuth ; Yazyev, Oleg V. ; Akrap, Ana

In: ACS Materials Letters, 2020, vol. 2, no. 9, p. 1115–1120

Applying elastic deformation can tune a material’s physical properties locally and reversibly. Spatially modulated lattice deformation can create a bandgap gradient, favoring photogenerated charge separation and collection in optoelectronic devices. These advantages are hindered by the maximum elastic strain that a material can withstand before breaking. Nanomaterials derived by exfoliating...

Université de Fribourg

Low-energy excitations in type-II Weyl semimetal ${T}_{d}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{MoTe}}_{2}$ evidenced through optical conductivity

Santos-Cottin, David ; Martino, Edoardo ; Le Mardelé, Florian ; Witteveen, C. ; Rohr, F. O. von ; Homes, C. C. ; Rukelj, Z. ; Akrap, Ana

In: Physical Review Materials, 2020, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 021201

Molybdenum ditelluride, MoTe2, is a versatile material where the topological phase can be readily tuned by manipulating the associated structural phase transition. The fine details of the band structure of MoTe2, key to understanding its topological properties, have proven difficult to disentangle experientially due to the multiband character of the material. Through experimental optical...