Self-assembly and manipulation of Te clusters on WTe2 surface

Zi-Yi Han; Xinlei Zhao; Ya-Xin Zhao; Mo-Han Zhang; Hui-Ying Ren; Xiao-Feng Zhou; Ruo-Han Zhang; Chao Yan; Ya-Ning Ren; Yong Xu; Lin He

doi:10.59717/j.tip.2026.100008

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Self-assembly and manipulation of Te clusters on WTe₂ surface

1.
Center for Advanced Quantum Studies, School of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Advanced Study, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
2.
State Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics and Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
3.
Key Laboratory of Multiscale Spin Physics (Beijing Normal University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China
4.
Frontier Science Center for Quantum Information, Beijing 100084, China
5.
These authors contributed equally

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Corresponding authors: yning@mail.bnu.edu.cn (Y.R.); yongxu@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn (Y.X.); helin@bnu.edu.cn (L.H.)
Received Date: April 04, 2026

Accepted Date: July 04, 2026

Published Online: July 08, 2026

The Innovation Physics https://doi.org/10.59717/j.tip.2026.100008 | Cite this article

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1. Self-assembly and tip manipulation are combined to construct atomically precise tellurium (Te) clusters.
  
  Ring-like Te clusters on 1T’-WTe₂ can be created, manipulated, and reshaped with atomic precision.
  
  This work opens new avenues for tailoring atomic-scale assemblies and exploring emergent quantum phenomena.

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

The ability to build matter with atomic precision is central to nanoscience, with profound implications for engineering functional quantum materials and fabricating nanoscale devices. Two different methods, i.e., molecular self-assembly and atomic manipulation, are developed to achieve such a goal. Although both have advanced considerably, their integration within a single system remains largely unexplored, hampering the construction of more complex nanostructures with greater control. Here, we report a method to trigger self-assembly of Te clusters on 1T’-WTe₂ surface and show the ability to further manipulate the Te clusters via scanning tunnelling microscopy tip engineering. This enables us to change the position and number of atoms of the Te clusters with atomic precision. Our results indicate that the seamless combination of self-assembly and manipulation in a single system opens new avenues for constructing and tailoring atomic-scale architectures, providing an ideal platform with atomic precision to explore emergent quantum phenomena.
- tellurium clusters /
- self-assembly /
- atomic manipulation /
- scanning tunnelling microscopy

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Han Z.-Y., Zhao X., Zhao Y.-X., et al. (2026). Self-assembly and manipulation of Te clusters on WTe2 surface. The Innovation Physics 1:100008. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.tip.2026.100008

Han Z.-Y., Zhao X., Zhao Y.-X., et al. (2026). Self-assembly and manipulation of Te clusters on WTe₂ surface. The Innovation Physics 1:100008. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.tip.2026.100008

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Self-assembly and manipulation of Te clusters on WTe₂ surface

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

PUBLIC SUMMARY

ABSTRACT