Phonon physics in twisted two-dimensional materials

Abstract

As one of the most effective manipulation means to control the physical properties of two-dimensional van der Waals stacking materials, the twisted angle periodically regulates the interlayer interaction potential by generating moiré patterns. The decrease in Brillouin zone size and the change of high symmetry direction caused by the interlayer twisted angle lead to the emergence of the hybrid folded phonons—moiré phonons, which have noticeable impacts on phonon properties. This paper reviews the recent developments and discoveries on phonon properties in twisted two-dimensional stacking homogeneous and heterogeneous systems and focuses on the impacts of the interlayer twisted angle on phonon dispersion, such as interlayer coupling phonon modes and moiré phonons. Meanwhile, we introduced the recent research on the influence of the interlayer twisted angle on phonon transport behavior along the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. In addition, the theoretical and experimental open questions and challenges faced in the phonon characteristics of twisted two-dimensional materials are discussed, and some possible solutions are put forward.