Edge Polarization Topology Integrated with Sliding Ferroelectricity in Moiré System

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This study used piezoresponse force microscopy to observe sliding ferroelectricity and non-trivial edge ferroelectricity with vortex polarization topology in twisted h-BN moiré heterostructures, attributing these phenomena to combined piezoelectric and sliding effects.

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This study investigates moiré ferroelectricity in twisted hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) heterostructures using piezoresponse force microscopy, focusing on how atomic reconstruction shapes the polarization landscape. The authors report sliding ferroelectricity at the centers of triangular moiré patterns and identify “edge ferroelectricity” at the boundaries of adjacent triangles, characterized by non-trivial vortex polarization topology, with calculations attributing the effect to joined piezoelectric contributions. The work is presented as a published journal version (Nature Communications) but the provided text is from a preprint page and does not state additional limitations beyond the lack of peer review at that stage. Relevance to endometriosis: it is not discussed in the provided paper text; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

Abstract Van der Waals moiré heterostructure have been found to exhibits a robust interfacial ferroelectricity down to atomic thickness, and discovering and understanding the complex polarization state in moiré systems is of fundamental interest to condensed-matter research. In this study, we examined the moiré ferroelectricity in twisted h-BN heterostructure by piezoresponse force microscopy. Due to atomic reconstruction, triangular moiré patterns are detected, and we have directly observed sliding ferroelectricity in the center of triangular moiré patterns as well as robust in-plane polarization topology emerging at the boundary of adjacent triangles, which we call edge ferroelectricity. The edge ferroelectricity possesses non-trivial vortex polarization topology. Our calculations trace the origin of this phenomenon to joined piezoelectric effects with sliding ferroelectricity. The present work provides intuitive insights to explore the unique moiré ferroelectricity in a non-polar background matrix, paving the way for potential ultrathin nonvolatile memory applications.
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Edge Polarization Topology Integrated with Sliding Ferroelectricity in Moiré System | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Edge Polarization Topology Integrated with Sliding Ferroelectricity in Moiré System Ni Zhong, Wen-cheng Fan, Zhao Guan, Lu-qi Wei, Hao-wen Xu, Wen-yi Tong, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5377031/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Van der Waals moiré heterostructure have been found to exhibits a robust interfacial ferroelectricity down to atomic thickness, and discovering and understanding the complex polarization state in moiré systems is of fundamental interest to condensed-matter research. In this study, we examined the moiré ferroelectricity in twisted h-BN heterostructure by piezoresponse force microscopy. Due to atomic reconstruction, triangular moiré patterns are detected, and we have directly observed sliding ferroelectricity in the center of triangular moiré patterns as well as robust in-plane polarization topology emerging at the boundary of adjacent triangles, which we call edge ferroelectricity. The edge ferroelectricity possesses non-trivial vortex polarization topology. Our calculations trace the origin of this phenomenon to joined piezoelectric effects with sliding ferroelectricity. The present work provides intuitive insights to explore the unique moiré ferroelectricity in a non-polar background matrix, paving the way for potential ultrathin nonvolatile memory applications. Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Ferroelectrics and multiferroics Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Topological matter/Topological defects Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files NNSI.pdf SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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