Thermal-driven Lifshitz Transition in layered semimetallic MoTe₂

Electronic, thermal and mechanical (structural) properties of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) have shown non-trivial magnetoresistance and quantum states that are promising for next-generation electronics. In particular, unsaturated magnetoresistance and superconductivity have been demonstrated and explained by the exact compensation of electrons and holes in semimetallic MoTe₂, which exhibits a significant temperature variation. Here, we clarify the origin of the temperature-induced non-trivial phenomena by investigating thermal expansion, band structure and phonon features of layered semimetallic MoTe₂. The electron and hole concentrations were found to be largely correlated with the thermal expansion properties of the material along with the role of flexural phonon in the layered material with lattice distortion. Furthermore, resistivity characteristics of the semimetallic MoTe₂ show non-Fermi liquid behaviors.