Topological nature of dislocation networks in two-dimensional moiré materials
Rebecca Engelke, Hyobin Yoo, Stephen Carr, Kevin Xu, Paul Cazeaux, Richard D. Allen, Andrés M. Mier Valdivia, Mitchell Luskin, Efthimios Kaxiras, Minhyong Kim, Jung Hoon Han, Philip Kim
Abstract
Twisted bilayers of two-dimensional materials contain a moir\'e superatomic lattice domain that can be bounded by a domain boundary network. The authors show here that the nodes of this network can be considered topological defects. While the nodes in previously studied twisted moir\'e materials are vortices, the authors discover antivortices formed in strained moir\'e systems using transmission electron micrographs. This work provides insight into the underlying rules governing moir\'e structures, inspiring the construction of new types of moir\'e interfaces.