Unusual topological polar texture in moiré ferroelectrics
Abstract Topological polar textures in ferroelectrics have attracted significant interest for their potential applications in energy-efficient and high-density data storage and processing. Among these, polar merons and antimerons are predicted in strained and twisted bilayers of inversion symmetry b...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60647-y |
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| _version_ | 1849769358691139584 |
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| author | Yuhao Li Yuanhao Wei Ruiping Guo Yifei Wang Hanhao Zhang Takashi Taniguchi Kenji Watanabe Yan Shi Yi Shi Chong Wang Zaiyao Fei |
| author_facet | Yuhao Li Yuanhao Wei Ruiping Guo Yifei Wang Hanhao Zhang Takashi Taniguchi Kenji Watanabe Yan Shi Yi Shi Chong Wang Zaiyao Fei |
| author_sort | Yuhao Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Topological polar textures in ferroelectrics have attracted significant interest for their potential applications in energy-efficient and high-density data storage and processing. Among these, polar merons and antimerons are predicted in strained and twisted bilayers of inversion symmetry broken systems. However, experimental observation of these polar textures within twisted two-dimensional van der Waals materials remains elusive. Here, we utilize vector piezoresponse force microscopy to reconstruct the polarization fields in R-type marginally twisted hexagonal boron nitride. We observe alternating out-of-plane polarizations at domain regions and in-plane vortex-like polarization patterns along domain walls, indicative of a network of polar merons and antimerons. Notably, the out-of-plane polarization exhibits three polarity reversals across a domain wall. Similar polar textures are identified in marginally twisted WSe2 and MoSe2 homobilayers. Our theoretical simulations attribute these unusual polarization reversals near the domain walls to the competition between moiré ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity. These results provide the experimental evidence of complex polar textures in moiré ferroelectrics, which may offer additional insights into the electronic band topology in twisted transition metal dichalcogenides. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-69e8fe32f9b8497d9253890e1d8cd4ce |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-69e8fe32f9b8497d9253890e1d8cd4ce2025-08-20T03:03:25ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-011611810.1038/s41467-025-60647-yUnusual topological polar texture in moiré ferroelectricsYuhao Li0Yuanhao Wei1Ruiping Guo2Yifei Wang3Hanhao Zhang4Takashi Taniguchi5Kenji Watanabe6Yan Shi7Yi Shi8Chong Wang9Zaiyao Fei10National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Electronic Science and Engineering and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing UniversityState Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsState Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics and Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics and Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityNational Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Electronic Science and Engineering and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing UniversityResearch Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials ScienceResearch Center for Electronic and Optical Materials, National Institute for Materials ScienceState Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsNational Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Electronic Science and Engineering and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing UniversityState Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics and Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityNational Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Electronic Science and Engineering and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing UniversityAbstract Topological polar textures in ferroelectrics have attracted significant interest for their potential applications in energy-efficient and high-density data storage and processing. Among these, polar merons and antimerons are predicted in strained and twisted bilayers of inversion symmetry broken systems. However, experimental observation of these polar textures within twisted two-dimensional van der Waals materials remains elusive. Here, we utilize vector piezoresponse force microscopy to reconstruct the polarization fields in R-type marginally twisted hexagonal boron nitride. We observe alternating out-of-plane polarizations at domain regions and in-plane vortex-like polarization patterns along domain walls, indicative of a network of polar merons and antimerons. Notably, the out-of-plane polarization exhibits three polarity reversals across a domain wall. Similar polar textures are identified in marginally twisted WSe2 and MoSe2 homobilayers. Our theoretical simulations attribute these unusual polarization reversals near the domain walls to the competition between moiré ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity. These results provide the experimental evidence of complex polar textures in moiré ferroelectrics, which may offer additional insights into the electronic band topology in twisted transition metal dichalcogenides.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60647-y |
| spellingShingle | Yuhao Li Yuanhao Wei Ruiping Guo Yifei Wang Hanhao Zhang Takashi Taniguchi Kenji Watanabe Yan Shi Yi Shi Chong Wang Zaiyao Fei Unusual topological polar texture in moiré ferroelectrics Nature Communications |
| title | Unusual topological polar texture in moiré ferroelectrics |
| title_full | Unusual topological polar texture in moiré ferroelectrics |
| title_fullStr | Unusual topological polar texture in moiré ferroelectrics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unusual topological polar texture in moiré ferroelectrics |
| title_short | Unusual topological polar texture in moiré ferroelectrics |
| title_sort | unusual topological polar texture in moire ferroelectrics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60647-y |
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