Ferroelectricity in Atomically Thin Metallic TaNiTe$_5$ with Ultrahigh Carrier Density
Abstract
Ferroelectric metals, characterized by the coexistence of ferroelectricity and metallic conductivity, present a fundamental challenge due to the screening effect of free charge carriers on the long-range electric dipole order. Existing strategies to circumvent this obstacle include employing two-dimensional (2D) crystals, where reduced dimensionality and low carrier densities suppress screening, or designing materials of van der Waals (vdW) superlattice with spatially separated and decoupled conductive and nearly insulating ferroelectric layers. Here, we report an alternative paradigm in TaNiTe5, where an ultrahigh carrier density coexists with an out-of-plane ferroelectric order within the same surface monolayer. Using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), we observed robust ferroelectric behavior in TaNiTe5 down to single-unit-cell thickness (~1.3 nm) at room temperature. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) gives structural evidence that the ferroelectricity might originate from the vertical displacement of outmost Te atoms on the surface, breaking the inversion symmetry. Concurrently, electrical transport measurements reveal a metallic state with a carrier density on the order of 10 cm (or 10 cm) -- comparable to that of Copper (Cu). Our findings establish a unique platform for exploring the interplay between ferroelectricity and an ultrahigh density of mobile carriers in the 2D limit.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2602.05398,
title = {Ferroelectricity in Atomically Thin Metallic TaNiTe$_5$ with Ultrahigh Carrier Density},
author = {Zhihua Liu and Shichong Song and Xunqing Yin and Chenhang Xu and Feng Liu and Guohua Wang and Peng Chen and Shengwei Jiang and Chunqiang Xu and Xiaofeng Xu and Weidong Luo and Dong Qian},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.05398},
year = {2026}
}