Scalable and deterministic construction of moiré superlattice in 2D materials via controlled heterostrain

   Two-dimensional (2D) moiré systems have been widely engineered through twist angles and lattice mismatches using various fabrication and processing techniques. However, the creation and precise control of moiré patterns solely using heterostrain remain a challenge. Here, we present the deterministic construction of heterostrain-induced moiré superlattices in transition metal dichalcogenides. Controlled heterostrain is imposed by applying lithographically patterned thin-film stressors to 2D materials. Using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and four-dimensional STEM (4D-STEM), we directly visualize the resulting moiré superlattice in MoS₂. We resolve the spatial distribution of induced heterostrain, the resulting stacking reconstructions, and the emergence of in-plane polar distortions across domain boundaries. This work demonstrates the deterministic and scalable construction of moiré patterns using a well-established scalable process, opening opportunities to control and design moiré geometries and emergent polar textures in 2D materials [1].

[1] Y. -M. Wu, S. Lee, Y. Xi, S. D. Funni, S. Siddique, N. L. Williams, G. Sartorello, H. Askari, J. J. Cha. Scalable and deterministic of moiré superlattice in 2D materials using stressor films. arXiv preprint arXiv:2510.13700 (2025).