Nature Communications (Sep 2019)

Soliton superlattices in twisted hexagonal boron nitride

  • G. X. Ni,
  • H. Wang,
  • B.-Y. Jiang,
  • L. X. Chen,
  • Y. Du,
  • Z. Y. Sun,
  • M. D. Goldflam,
  • A. J. Frenzel,
  • X. M. Xie,
  • M. M. Fogler,
  • D. N. Basov

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12327-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 6

Abstract

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Solitons may develop when strain forms at line defects separating commensurate domains in misaligned or lattice-mismatched van der Waals heterostructures. Here, the authors use atomic-force microscopy and nano-infrared spectroscopy to image solitons in thin hBN crystals in the form of long-range periodic superstructures, creating sub-surface hexagonal networks with periods of a few hundred nanometers.