Ferroelectricity in hBN intercalated double-layer graphene

Abstract

Van der Waals (vdW) assembly of two-dimensional materials has long been recognized as a powerful tool for creating unique systems with properties that cannot be found in natural compounds [Nature 499, 419 (2013)]. However, among the variety of vdW heterostructures and their various properties, only a few have revealed metallic and ferroelectric behaviour signatures [Sci. Adv. 5, eaax5080 (2019); Nature560, 336 (2018)]. Here we show ferroelectric semimetal made of double-gated double-layer graphene separated by an atomically thin crystal of hexagonal boron nitride. The structure demonstrates high room temperature mobility of the order of 10 m²·V⁻¹·s⁻¹ and exhibits ambipolar switching in response to the external electric field. The observed hysteresis is reversible and persists above room temperature. Our fabrication method expands the family of ferroelectric vdW compounds and offers a promising route for developing novel phase-changing devices. A possible microscopic model of ferroelectricity is discussed.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

double-layer graphene / ferroelectric metal / intercalation / dry transfer / high-mobility

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant Nos. SQ2018YFA030066 and SQ2018YFA030143), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11974169), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Nos. 020414380087 and 020414913201), and the Basic Research Program of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20190283).

Author contributions statement

A.S.M. and G.Y. designed the project. Y.W. fabricated the samples, S.J. and J.X. performed transport measurements, X.C. and G.M. did the AFM and Raman research, K.W. and T.T. provided hBN crystals. S. J., J.X., Y.W., and A.S.M performed data analysis, D.Z., P.W., G.M., Y.H, J.H., and A.S.M provided the experimental support. Y.W., A.S.M and G.Y. wrote the manuscript. All authors participated in the discussions.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Electronic supplementary materials

are available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-022-1175-0 and https://journal.hep.com.cn/fop/EN/10.1007/s11467-022-1175-0 and are accessible for authorized users.

Correspondence and requests for materials

should be addressed to Y.W, A.S.M. or G.Y.

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