Control of molecular orbital ordering using a van der Waals monolayer ferroelectric

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how a monolayer ferroelectric material can electrically control the orbital ordering of adsorbed molecules, enabling potential applications in switchable molecular magnetism.

Contribution

It introduces a method to manipulate molecular orbital order using ferroelectric polarization in a 2D material, a novel approach for quantum state control.

Findings

Orbital order transition induced by ferroelectric polarization.

Electrical manipulation of molecular states via STM.

Potential for switchable molecular magnetism.

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric materials provide a promising platform for the electrical control of quantum states. In particular, due to their 2D nature, they are suitable for influencing the quantum states of deposited molecules via the proximity effect. Here, we report electrically controllable molecular states in phthalocyanine molecules adsorbed on monolayer ferroelectric material SnTe. In particular, we demonstrate that the strain and ferroelectric order in SnTe creates a transition between two distinct orbital orders in the adsorbed phthalocyanine molecules. By controlling the polarization of the ferroelectric domain using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we have successfully demonstrated that orbital order can be manipulated electrically. Our results show how ferroelastic coupling in 2D systems allows control of molecular states, providing a starting point for ferroelectrically switchable molecular orbital ordering and ultimately, electrical control of molecular magnetism.