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Mechanochemical Nano-Writing of an Atomically Thin Metal

Shuai Zhang1,3,*, Yanyu Jia2,*, Atanu Samanta4, Yutian Bao4, Haosen Guan2, Zhaoyi Joy Zheng2,5, Guangming Cheng6, Ting Liu7, Cangyu Qu1 et al.

Kenji Watanabe8, Takashi Taniguchi9, Nan Yao6, Ashlie Martini7, Leslie Schoop10, Andrew M. Rappe4, Sanfeng Wu2,†, and Robert W. Carpick1,‡

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: sanfengw@princeton.edu
  • ‡Contact author: carpick@seas.upenn.edu
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Phys. Rev. X 16, 031029 – Published 6 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/g2rj-jt2f

Abstract

Mechanical energy accelerates many physicochemical processes, including materials syntheses that are hard to produce with thermal energy alone. However, physical understanding connecting applied mechanical forces with internal stresses and ensuing reaction mechanisms is lacking. Here we demonstrate mechanical force-enabled synthesis and nanoscale patterning to metallize a two-dimensional (2D) material, producing an atomically thin superconductor. Localized force applied by atomic force microscope tips to van der Waals (vdW) encapsulated stacks of 2D bilayer MoTe2 and adjacent source Pd guides 2D Pd7MoTe2 growth with 50 nm lateral resolution. Force accelerates reaction kinetics exponentially per Eyring’s stress-assisted thermal activation model, reducing synthesis temperatures from ∼200 °C to near-room temperature. Finite element simulations, density functional theory, and ab initio grand canonical Monte Carlo calculations show that tip-induced compression facilitates Pd chemisorption to tensile-strained MoTe2 that then converts to uniform Pd7MoTe2. This demonstrates a new, generalizable paradigm for nanoscale synthesis of quantum materials, and high-precision engineering of superconductivity.

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Creating new materials usually requires getting atoms from the different starting materials to bond with each other. Overcoming the necessary energy barriers often involves increasing temperature, but another method is to apply a force. We used an atomic force microscope (AFM) to synthesize a new compound, Pd7MoTe2, by applying force across an extremely small area nearby a stack of 2D MoTe2 and metallic Pd. The Pd7MoTe2 forms only where we pressed on the material stack with an AFM tip, allowing us to write patterns as small as 50 nm (1/1000th the width of a human hair), all encapsulated within a 2D stack of van der Waals layered materials. The crystalline Pd7MoTe2, synthesized directly inside a van der Waals stack, conducts electricity like a metal at room temperature (unlike MoTe2), and becomes a superconductor at lower temperatures. The distinct material properties and ability to tightly pattern makes it attractive for use in various applications, including for advanced transistors or quantum information devices.

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Phys. Rev. X 16, 031029– Published 6 August, 2026
  • Received 26 November 2025
  • Accepted 12 June 2026
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