Quantum Phase Transitions in Graphene Coupled to a Twisted WSe <sub>2</sub> Moiré Ferroelectricity
Sublattice symmetry in graphene governs its Dirac semimetal behavior, where electrons exhibit linear dispersion, limiting its potential for technological applications. Here, moiré ferroelectricity in twisted WSe<sub>2</sub> (t-WSe<sub>2</sub>) is exploited to break graphene's sublattice symmetry, inducing a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) near room temperature. The periodic polarization domains in t-WSe<sub>2</sub> imprint an electrostatic potential onto graphene, breaking its sublattice symmetry and leading to the emergence of a local Dirac point, as observed in the transfer characteristics of a t-WSe<sub>2</sub>/graphene field-effect transistor. Temperature-dependent transport measurements reveal multiple MIT points at relatively high temperatures, attributed to the room-temperature ferroelectric polarization in t-WSe<sub>2</sub>. Furthermore, A distinct metallic phases is identified exhibiting T<sup>2</sup> and linear-T dependent longitudinal resistance under electrostatic doping, indicative of Fermi-liquid and non-Fermi-liquid metallic behavior, respectively. Finally, finite-size scaling analysis of R<sub>xx</sub> near the MIT points indicates continuous quantum phase transitions near room temperature, establishing moiré ferroelectricity as a pathway for engineering quantum electronic phases of monolayer graphene at ambient conditions.
Authors
- Budhi Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1232-9930)
- Pawan Kumar Srivastava (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0825-3921)
- Jyoti Saini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2943-7583)
- Takashi Taniguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1467-3105)
- Muhammad Sabbtain Abbas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7652-9566)
- Tien Dat Ngo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7185-308X)
- Kenji Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3701-8119)
- Min Sup Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8448-4043)
- Yasir Hassan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1348-3382)
- Won Jong Yoo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3767-7969)
- Hyung Mo Jeong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5950-3890)
- Sungjoo Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1284-3593)
- Taesung Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6280-7668)
- Jimin Jang
- Changgu Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8915-7746)
- Nasir Ali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6934-2186)
- Subhasis Ghosh
- Santosh Durairaj
Institutions
- Seoul National University of Science and Technology (KR)
- Seoul National University (KR)
- Jawaharlal Nehru University (IN)
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Chungnam National University (KR)
- National Institute for Materials Science (JP)
- Government College University, Lahore (PK)
- Sungkyunkwan University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2025-10-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202514744
- Primary Topic
- 2D Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Research Foundation
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea