Molecular tuning of excitons in four-atom-thick hybrid bilayer crystals

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how molecular engineering in four-atom-thick hybrid bilayer crystals allows precise tuning of excitonic properties, combining molecular and TMD characteristics for advanced 2D quantum materials.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to tuning excitons in 2D materials by replacing one layer with a molecular crystal, enabling customizable interlayer interactions.

Findings

Anisotropic photoluminescence observed in hybrid bilayer crystals.

Hybrid excitons inherit properties from both molecular and TMD layers.

Molecular geometry and composition directly influence excitonic behavior.

Abstract

Bilayer crystals, formed by stacking monolayers of two-dimensional (2D) crystals, create interlayer potentials that govern excitonic phenomena but are constrained by their fixed covalent lattices. Replacing one layer with an atomically thin molecular crystal overcomes this limitation, as precise control of functional groups enables tunable 2D molecular lattices and, consequently, electronic structures. Here, we report molecular tuning of lattices and excitons in four-atom-thick hybrid bilayer crystals (HBCs), synthesized as monolayers of perylene-based molecular and transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) single crystals. In HBCs, we observe an anisotropic photoluminescence signal exhibiting characteristics of both molecular and TMD excitons, directly tuned by molecular geometry and HBC composition. Ab initio calculations reveal that this anisotropic emission arises from hybrid excitons, which inherit properties from both layers through a hybridized bilayer band structure. Our work establishes a synthetically derived, molecule-based 2D quantum materials platform with the potential for engineering interlayer potentials.