The applicability of DFT+$U$ to the star-of-David phase of $1T$-TaS$_2$ is examined. The viability of a Mott phase as a ground state for the bulk of this material is briefly discussed in light of the available experimental evidence.

We investigate, using a first-principles density-functional methodology, the nature of magnetism in monolayer 1T -phase of tantalum disulfide (1T -TaS2). Magnetism in the insulating phase of TaS2 is a longstanding puzzle and has led to a variety of theoretical proposals including notably the realization of a two-dimensional quantum-spin-liquid phase. By means of non-collinear spin calculations, we derive ab initio spin Hamiltonians including two-spin bilinear Heisenberg exchange, as well as biquadratic and four-spin ring-exchange couplings. We find that both quadratic and quartic interactions are consistently ferromagnetic, for all the functionals considered. Relativistic calculations predict substantial magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Altogether, our results suggest that this material may realize an easy-plane XXZ quantum ferromagnet with large anisotropy.

We address the long-standing problem of the ground state of 1T-TaS_{2} by computing the correlated electronic structure of stacked bilayers using the GW+EDMFT method. Depending on the surface termination, the semi-infinite uncorrelated system is either band insulating or exhibits a metallic surface state. For realistic values of the on-site and inter-site interactions, a Mott gap opens in the surface state, but it is smaller than the gap originating from the bilayer structure. Our results are consistent with recent scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements for different terminating layers, and with our own photoemission measurements, which indicate the coexistence of spatial regions with different gaps in the electronic spectrum. By comparison to exact diagonalization data, we clarify the interplay between Mott insulating and band insulating behavior in this archetypal layered system.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) in the 1T polymorph are subject to a rich variety of periodic lattice distortions, often referred to as charge-density waves (CDWs) when not too strong. We study from first principles the fermiology and phonon dispersion of three representative single-layer transition metal disulfides with different occupation of the t(2g) subshell: WS2 (t(2g)), WS2 (t(2g)(2)), and ReS2 (t(2g)(3)) across a broad range of doping levels. While strong electron-phonon interactions are at the heart of these instabilities, we argue that away from half-filling of the t(2g) subshell, the doping dependence of the calculated CDW wave vector can be explained from simple fermiology arguments, so that a weak-coupling nesting picture is a useful starting point for understanding. On the other hand, when the t(2g) subshell is closer to half-filling, we show that nesting is irrelevant, while a real-space strong-coupling picture of bonding Wannier functions is more appropriate and simple bond-counting arguments apply. Our study thus provides a unifying picture of lattice distortions in 1T TMDs that bridges the two regimes, while the crossover between these regimes can be attained by tuning the filling of the t(2g) orbitals.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exist in two polymorphs, referred to as 1T and 1H, depending on the coordination sphere of the transition metal atom. The broken octahedral and trigonal prismatic symmetries lead to different crystal and ligand field splittings of the d electron states, resulting in distinct electronic properties. In this work, we quantify the crystal and ligand field parameters of 2D TMDs using a Wannier-function approach. We adopt the methodology proposed by Scaramucci et al (2015 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 27 175503) that allows to separate various contributions to the ligand field by choosing different manifolds in the construction of the Wannier functions. We discuss the relevance of the crystal and ligand fields in determining the relative stability of the two polymorphs as a function of the filling of the d-shell. Based on the calculated parameters, we conclude that the ligand field, while leading to a small stabilizing factor for the 1H polymorph in the d(1) and d(2) TMDs, plays mostly an indirect role and that hybridization between different d orbitals is the dominant feature. We investigate trends across the periodic table and interpret the variations of the calculated crystal and ligand fields in terms of the change of charge-transfer energy, which allows developing simple chemical intuition.

The recently investigated 1T -polymorph of monolayer NbSe2 revealed an insulating behaviour suggesting a star-of-David phase with √ 13 × √ 13 periodicity associated with a Mott insulator, reminiscent of 1T -TaS2. In this work, we examine this novel two-dimensional material from first principles. We find an instability towards the formation of an incommensurate charge-density-wave (CDW) and establish the star-of-David phase as the most stable commensurate CDW. The mottness in the star-of-David phase is confirmed and studied at various levels of theory: the spin-polarized generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and its extension involving the on-site Coulomb repulsion (GGA+U), as well as the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). Finally, we estimate Heisenberg exchange couplings in this material and find a weak nearest-neighbour ferromagnetic coupling, at odds with most Mott insulators. We point out the close resemblance between this star-of-David phase and flat-band ferromagnetism models.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), whether in bulk or in monolayer form, exhibit a rich variety of charge-density-wave (CDW) phases and stronger periodic lattice distortions. While the actual role of nesting has been under debate, it is well understood that the microscopic interaction responsible for the CDWs is the electron-phonon coupling. The case of TiSe$_2$ is however unique in this family in that the normal state above the critical temperature $T_\mathrm{CDW}$ is characterized by a small quasiparticle bandgap as measured by ARPES, so that no nesting-derived enhancement of the susceptibility is present. It has therefore been argued that the mechanism responsible for this CDW should be different and that this material realizes the excitonic insulator phase proposed by Walter Kohn. On the other hand, it has also been suggested that the whole phase diagram can be explained by a sufficiently strong electron-phonon coupling. In this work, in order to estimate how close this material is to the pure excitonic insulator instability, we quantify the strength of electron-hole interactions by computing the exciton band structure at the level of hybrid density functional theory, focusing on the monolayer. We find that in a certain range of parameters the indirect gap at $q_{\mathrm{CDW}}$ is significantly reduced by excitonic effects. We discuss the consequences of those results regarding the debate on the physical mechanism responsible for this CDW. Based on the dependence of the calculated exciton binding energies as a function of the mixing parameter of hybrid DFT, we conjecture that a necessary condition for a pure excitonic insulator is that its noninteracting electronic structure is metallic.

Graphene is very popular because of its many fascinating properties, but its lack of an electronic bandgap has stimulated the search for 2D materials with semiconducting character. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), which are semiconductors of the type MX 2 , where M is a transition metal atom (such as Mo or W) and X is a chalcogen atom (such as S, Se or Te), provide a promising alternative. Because of its robustness, MoS 2 is the most studied material in this family. TMDCs exhibit a unique combination of atomic-scale thickness, direct bandgap, strong spin–orbit coupling and favourable electronic and mechanical properties, which make them interesting for fundamental studies and for applications in high-end electronics, spintronics, optoelectronics, energy harvesting, flexible electronics, DNA sequencing and personalized medicine. In this Review, the methods used to synthesize TMDCs are examined and their properties are discussed, with particular attention to their charge density wave, superconductive and topological phases. The use of TMCDs in nanoelectronic devices is also explored, along with strategies to improve charge carrier mobility, high frequency operation and the use of strain engineering to tailor their properties.

Atomically thin rhenium disulphide (ReS2) is a member of the transition metal dichalcogenide family of materials. This two-dimensional semiconductor is characterized by weak interlayer coupling and a distorted 1T structure, which leads to anisotropy in electrical and optical properties. Here we report on the electrical transport study of mono- and multilayer ReS2 with polymer electrolyte gating. We find that the conductivity of monolayer ReS2 is completely suppressed at high carrier densities, an unusual feature unique to monolayers, making ReS2 the first example of such a material. Using dual-gated devices, we can distinguish the gate-induced doping from the electrostatic disorder induced by the polymer electrolyte itself. Theoretical calculations and a transport model indicate that the observed conductivity suppression can be explained by a combination of a narrow conduction band and Anderson localization due to electrolyte-induced disorder.