Sliding ferroelectricity and the moiré effect in Janus bilayer MoSSe

Abstract

Two-dimensional van der Waals layered materials have attracted extensive attention in the field of low-dimensional ferroelectricity, on account of their readily delaminated structure and high-density information storage advantages. Here, we report the sliding ferroelectricity and moiré effects on the ferroelectricity in Janus bilayer MoSSe based on first-principles calculations. We focus on the changes of in-plane and out-of-plane polarizations due to sliding, and the calculations demonstrate that the in-plane and out-of-plane polarizations can be switched simultaneously by sliding. In addition, in moiré-twisted bilayer MoSSe, the complex stacking pattern and significant interlayer distance suppress the interlayer charge transfer, and the ferroelectric polarization is effectively suppressed. The polarization in the large-angle twisted structure is small but its direction can be adjusted by changing the twist angle. Our results emphasize the importance of low-dimensional ferroelectrics in van der Waals structures and pave a way for the search of sliding ferroelectric materials, as well as enriching the research on the ferroelectricity of large-angle twisted structures.