Non-van der Waals Heterostructures

Beyond the study of individual materials, their interfaces and arising functionality are crucial enablers of fundamental science and technological applications. Recently, the arena of two-dimensional (2D) materials was extended to so-called non-van der Waals (non-vdW) compounds derived from strongly bonded non-layered bulk crystals. These nanosystems with their active surfaces complement now - through their chemically bonded heterostructure (HS) interfaces - the established space of weakly interacting vdW HSs. Here, we study a wide range of 55 candidate non-vdW HSs with autonomous density functional calculations and find that the resulting interfacial chemical hybridization and bonding is the key factor determining their electronic and magnetic properties. It gives rise to the formation of hybrid interface bands, strong magnetic coupling, and substantial electronic as well as magnetic moire surface property modulations upon twisting. Our work thus provides a significant step towards charting the new interface class of non-vdW HSs.