Signatures of Flexoelectric Polar Vortex Superstructure and Electronic-Correlation-Modulated Screening in a Double-Moiré System

Nanoscale polar structures are essential for understanding polarization processes in low-dimensional systems and offer exciting prospects for high-performance electronics. Here, we reveal the signatures of a flexoelectric polar vortex superstructure in twisted bilayer graphene aligned with hexagonal boron nitride (TBG/hBN), where strong coupling between two moiré patterns induces pronounced structural relaxation. Scanning tunneling microscopy uncovers moiré-scale flat-band bending, distinct from domain-wall-confined polarization in minimally twisted graphene. Theoretical simulations demonstrate that the lowering of point-group symmetry plays a crucial role and indicate that the in-plane polarization field forms an array of polar vortices. Moreover, near the magic angle, the polarization becomes highly gate-tunable and couples to electron correlations, leading to spatially modulated correlated gaps. Our findings establish the coupling of multiple moiré patterns as a powerful strategy for engineering nanoscale polar structures and emergent quantum states.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nano Letters
Published
2026-04-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c00274
Primary Topic
Nonlocal and gradient elasticity in micro/nano structures
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Signatures of Flexoelectric Polar Vortex Superstructure and Electronic-Correlation-Modulated Screening in a Double-Moiré System

Aisheng Song, J. Mao, K. Watanabe, Yucheng Xue et al.
Nano Letters
Nonlocal and gradient elasticity in micro/nano structures
article

Signatures of Flexoelectric Polar Vortex Superstructure and Electronic-Correlation-Modulated Screening in a Double-Moiré System

Aisheng Song, J. Mao, K. Watanabe, Yucheng Xue, Y. Q. Wang, T. Taniguchi, Zhen Xu, Tianbao Ma, Yu Jiang, Shaoqing XU, Yingzhuo Han, Zhengwen Wang, Jiawang Hong, Zhongrui Wang
article en

Abstract

Nanoscale polar structures are essential for understanding polarization processes in low-dimensional systems and offer exciting prospects for high-performance electronics. Here, we reveal the signatures of a flexoelectric polar vortex superstructure in twisted bilayer graphene aligned with hexagonal boron nitride (TBG/hBN), where strong coupling between two moiré patterns induces pronounced structural relaxation. Scanning tunneling microscopy uncovers moiré-scale flat-band bending, distinct from domain-wall-confined polarization in minimally twisted graphene. Theoretical simulations demonstrate that the lowering of point-group symmetry plays a crucial role and indicate that the in-plane polarization field forms an array of polar vortices. Moreover, near the magic angle, the polarization becomes highly gate-tunable and couples to electron correlations, leading to spatially modulated correlated gaps. Our findings establish the coupling of multiple moiré patterns as a powerful strategy for engineering nanoscale polar structures and emergent quantum states.

Nano LettersVol. 26(15)
Beijing Institute of Technology (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), National Institute for Materials Science (JP), Institute of Molecular Functional Materials (CN), Integrated Optoelectronics (Norway) (NO), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 26%
Nonlocal and gradient elasticity in micro/nano structures
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