Probing and tuning the electronic properties of low dimensional van der Waals materials

Abstract

The investigation on the physical properties of new materials is of fundamental importance to gain understanding and knowledge on systems and phenomena which one day may be exploited for revolutionary technological applications. In this regard, probing and tuning the electronic transport properties of low-dimensional materials might represent one of the routes that can satisfy the requirements of modern electronics/spintronics advancements. Following the common thread of investigating and manipulating the transport properties of low dimensional and low symmetrical systems, this thesis will be divided in two main parts. In the first part molecular functionalization is exploited to tune the intrinsic physical properties of two van der Waals materials: a superconductor and a ferromagnet. The second part focuses on the study of the charge to spin interconversion mechanisms in low symmetry systems. In particular, the study of the magnetoelectrical properties of Tellurium nanowires revealed a tight relationship between spin related phenomena and the symmetry breaking in such a chiral system.