What is it about?
Silicon telluride (Si2Te3) is a two-dimensional material with a unique variable structure where the silicon atoms form Si-Si dimers to fill the “metal” sites between the Te layers in different possible orientations. The structural variability of Si2Te3 allows unusual properties, especially mechanical properties. Using results from first-principles calculations, we show that the Si2Te3 monolayer can sustain a uniaxial tensile strain up to 38%, the highest among all two-dimensional materials reported.
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Why is it important?
The high mechanical flexibility allows applying mechanical strain to reduce the bandgap by 1.5 eV. With increasing strain, the bandgap undergoes an unusual indirect-direct-indirect-direct transition. We show that the uniaxial strain can effectively control the Si-Si dimer alignment, which is beneficial for practical applications.
Perspectives
I hope this article will provide insight into the physics behind its highest flexibility. Also, changing the nature of the bandgap with the strain is also an interesting property of 2D materials, which will eventually help to understand the material and the resulting potential applications.
Romakanta Bhattarai
University of Memphis
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Ultra-high mechanical flexibility of 2D silicon telluride, Applied Physics Letters, January 2020, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/1.5120533.
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