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Disorder engineering and conductivity dome in ReS2 with electrolyte gating
Dmitry Ovchinnikov1,2, Fernando Gargiulo3, Adrien Allain1,2
1Electrical Engineering Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Nature Communications
|August 9, 2016
Summary
Atomically thin rhenium disulphide (ReS2) shows unique conductivity suppression in monolayers at high carrier densities. This behavior in two-dimensional semiconductors is attributed to a narrow band and Anderson localization.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Rhenium disulphide (ReS2) is an atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide.
- It exhibits a distorted 1T structure with weak interlayer coupling, leading to anisotropic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the electrical transport properties of mono- and multilayer ReS2 using polymer electrolyte gating.
- To understand the unique conductivity behavior observed in monolayer ReS2.
Main Methods:
- Electrical transport measurements on ReS2 flakes.
- Polymer electrolyte gating and dual-gated device configurations.
- Theoretical calculations and transport modeling.
Main Results:
- Monolayer ReS2 exhibits complete conductivity suppression at high carrier densities, a novel phenomenon.
- Dual-gated devices differentiated gate-induced doping from electrolyte disorder.
- Observed suppression is explained by a narrow conduction band and Anderson localization.
Conclusions:
- Rhenium disulphide is the first two-dimensional semiconductor to show conductivity suppression in its monolayer form.
- Electrolyte-induced disorder plays a significant role in Anderson localization and conductivity suppression.
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