Moiré-related in-gap states in a twisted MoS2/graphite heterojunction

Abstract

Heterointerfaces: Gap states in a twisted heterojunction New moiré-related states emerge in the bandgap of molybdenum disulfide when interfaced with highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Two-dimensional materials enable designer heterostructures to be created layer-by-layer, but greater understanding of how different interfaces affect the electronic structure is required if they are to be fully exploited for applications. An international team of researchers led by Minn-Tsong Lin from National Taiwan University use low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to show that in-gap states can form at molybdenum disulfide/graphite heterointerfaces, which are sensitive to both the stacking angle and local strain, and have a small dependence on the moiré superstructure. These tunable in-gap states, which are attributed to interlayer charges, show the complexity, but also potential of using stacking and strain for engineering the electronic structure of heterostructures.