National University of Singapore (NUS) physicists have developed a technique to precisely control the alignment of supermoire lattices by using a set of golden rules, paving the way for the advancement of next generation moire quantum matter.
Moire patterns are formed when two identical periodic structures are overlaid with a relative twist angle between them or two different periodic structures but overlaid with or without twist angle. The twist angle is the angle between the crystallographic orientations of the two structures. For example, when graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) which are layered materials are overlaid on each other, the atoms in the two structures do not line up perfectly, creating a pattern of interference fringes, called a moire pattern.
This results in an electronic reconstruction. The moire pattern in graphene and hBN has been used to create new structures with exotic properties, such as topological currents and Hofstadter butterfly states. When two moire patterns are stacked together, a new structure called supermoire lattice is created. Compared with the traditional single moire materials, this supermoire lattice expands the range of tunable material properties allowing for potential use in a much larger variety of applications.
A research team led by Professor Ariando from the NUS Department of Physics developed a technique and successfully realised the controlled alignment of the hBN/graphene/hBN supermoire lattice. This technique allows for the precise arrangement of two moire patterns, one on top of the other. Meanwhile, the researchers also formulated the "Golden Rule of Three" to guide the use of their technique for creating supermoire lattices.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
There are three main challenges in creating a graphene supermoire' lattice. First, the traditional optical alignment strongly depends on the straight edges of graphene, but it is time-consuming and labour-intensive to find a suitable graphene flake; Second, even if the straight-edged graphene sample is used, there is a low probability of 1/8 to obtain a double-aligned supermoire lattice, due to the uncertainty of its edge chirality and lattice symmetry. Third, although the edge chirality and lattice symmetry can be identified, the alignment errors are often found to be large (greater than 0.5 degrees), as it is physically challenging to align two different lattice materials.
Dr Junxiong Hu, the lead author for the research paper, said, "Our technique helps to solve a real-life problem. Many researchers have told me that they usually take almost one week to make a sample. With our technique, they can not only greatly shorten the fabrication time, but also greatly improve the accuracy of the sample."
The researchers use a "30 degrees rotation technique" at the start to control the alignment of the top hBN and graphene layers. Then they use a "flip-over technique" to control the alignment of the top hBN and bottom hBN layers. Based on these two methods, they can control the lattice symmetry and tune the band structure of the graphene supermoire lattice. They have also shown that the neighbouring graphite edge can act as a guide for the stacking alignment. In this study, they have fabricated 20 moire samples with accuracy better than 0.2 degrees.
Prof Ariando said, "We have established three golden rules for our technique which can help many researchers in the two-dimensional materials community. Many scientists working in other strongly correlated systems like magic-angle twisting bilayer graphene o
r ABC-stacking multilayer graphene are also expected to benefit from our work. Through this technical improvement, I hope that it will accelerate the development of the next generation of moire quantum matter."
Currently, the research team is using this technique to fabricate the single-layer graphene supermoire lattice and explore the unique properties in this material system. Moreover, they are also extending the current technique to other material systems, to discover other novel quantum phenomena.
Research Report:Controlled alignment of supermoire lattice in double-aligned graphene heterostructures
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Defense Industry Analyst:
8
Stock Market Analyst:
5
General Industry Analyst:
7
Analyst Summary
:
This article discusses an innovative technique developed by a team of physicists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) to precisely control the alignment of supermoire lattices. This technique uses a set of ‘Golden Rules of Three’ to guide the creation of supermoire lattices, which is a new structure created when two moire patterns are stacked together. This technique has potential applications in a variety of fields, including defense, stock markets and general industry. The findings of this research were published in the journal Nature Communications.
This development has significant implications for the defense, stock market, and general industry. For the defense industry, supermoire lattices offer potential applications in the development of advanced materials and components that could be used in the creation of high-performance weaponry. For the stock market, these lattices could be used to develop new trading algorithms that are more efficient and accurate than current methods. And for the general industry, these lattices could enable the creation of new materials that are more energy efficient and cost-effective than current options.
Over the past 25 years, there have been a number of significant developments in the space and defense industry. For example, the use of 3D printing in the production of spacecraft components has increased significantly, while the development of autonomous systems and robotics has revolutionized the defense sector. These advancements suggest the potential for further development of supermoire lattices in the space and defense industry.
Investigative
Question:
- 1. What are the potential applications of supermoire lattices in the defense industry?
- 2. How could supermoire lattices be used to develop more efficient trading algorithms in the stock market?
- 3.
What advancements in materials and components could be made by using supermoire lattices?4. How could supermoire lattices increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of existing materials?
5. What are the risks associated with the use of supermoire lattices in the space and defense industry?
This AI report is generated by a sophisticated prompt to a ChatGPT API. Our editors clean text for presentation, but preserve AI thought for our collective observation. Please comment and ask questions about AI use by Spacedaily. We appreciate your support and contribution to better trade news.
