Femtosecond Pulse-Burst Induced Domain-Selective Interlayer Reconstruction in SbTe Enabling Anisotropic Mobility Enhancement

With the growing demand for energy conversion and waste heat recovery, the development of high-performance thermoelectric materials has become a critical focus in the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions. Among these materials, SbTe has received considerable attention owing to its remarkable thermoelectric properties near room temperature. However, its limited carrier mobility and inadequate interlayer microstructural stability have led to a substantial discrepancy between theoretical predictions and practical performance. To address the constraints of conventional doping strategies and interface engineering in achieving precise structural control, this study introduces a novel approach employing femtosecond pulse trains to induce domain-selective interlayer reconstruction. By integrating high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy with molecular dynamics simulations and first-principles calculations, the research elucidates the underlying mechanism of structural evolution driven by non-thermal electronic excitation and stress-field interactions. The findings demonstrate that femtosecond pulse trains enable directional reconstruction at the atomic scale, thereby enhancing carrier transport efficiency and significantly improving the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT). This work not only establishes a new paradigm for microstructural regulation in layered thermoelectric systems but also provides both theoretical insight and experimental guidance for cross-scale processing and performance optimization of two-dimensional semiconductors and other advanced functional materials.