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Abstract The monoclinic 2M phase of tungsten disulfide (2M-WS₂) has emerged as a promising platform for topological superconductivity, combining topological surface states, anisotropic thermoelectric response, and superconductivity with a critical temperature of ∼8.8K. A detailed understanding of its electron–phonon coupling and phonon anharmonicity is, however, still lacking. Here, we investigate the phonon properties of few-layer 2M-WS₂as functions of laser power, temperature, polarization, and magnetic field using polarized Raman spectroscopy down to 12.5 K. We uncover an unusual, non-linear temperature dependence of the Raman shifts in selected modes, consistent with strong, mode-dependent electron–phonon interactions that dominate over phonon–phonon scattering at low temperatures. Angle-resolved polarized Raman measurements further reveal a pronounced change in the polarization behavior of the $A_g$ (4) mode at ∼316cm⁻¹upon cooling, indicating a modification of the underlying lattice and electronic anisotropy. In contrast, the applied magnetic field has a negligible influence on the Raman response over the measured temperature range. Together, these results advance the microscopic understanding of vibrational dynamics and electron–phonon coupling in few-layer 2M-WS₂and provide important insight into the lattice-electronic interplay relevant for its unconventional superconductivity and potential quantum and thermoelectric device applications. 

We investigate the effects of electron beam energy on defect formation in monolayer graphene using Raman spectroscopy and the local activation model. Monolayer graphene samples were irradiated at beam energies ranging from 1 to 30 keV, and the evolution of Raman D, G, and D’ peaks was monitored as a function of electron fluence. For all energies, the ID/IG and ID′/IG ratios exhibited a two-stage behavior, initially increasing with fluence before decreasing at higher defect densities, consistent with the local activation model predictions. Notably, the maximum ID/IG ratio decreased and shifted to a higher fluence with increasing beam energy. At lower beam energies (1–2 keV), an additional broad Raman peak was observed near the G peak, attributed to carbonaceous film deposition from secondary electrons (SEs). Defect formation was modeled using the local activation model with adjustments to account for SE-induced dissociation of surface adsorbates, showing good agreement with experimental data. Parameters A and B, which represent the incident electron fluence required to generate a defect-active region and the fraction of dissociable adsorbates, respectively, showed systematic trends with beam energy. Postirradiation annealing studies were conducted to determine activation energies for defect healing via Arrhenius analysis. The extracted activation energies (0.31–0.48 eV) are consistent with sp3-type defects such as hydrogen and hydroxyl groups with attached water molecules. These findings highlight the critical role of beam energy and SE yield in the defect engineering of graphene and demonstrate the utility of the local activation model in quantitatively describing beam-induced disorder. 

Leveraging the reciprocal-space proximity effect between superconducting bulk and topological surface states (TSSs) offers a promising way to topological superconductivity. However, elucidating the mutual influence of bulk and TSSs on topological superconductivity remains a challenge. Here, we report pioneering transport evidence of a thickness-dependent transition from conventional to unconventional superconductivity in 2M-phase WS2 (2M-WS2). As the sample thickness reduces, we see clear changes in key superconducting metrics, including critical temperature, critical current, and carrier density. Notably, while thick 2M-WS2 samples show conventional superconductivity, with an in-plane (IP) upper critical field constrained by the Pauli limit, samples under 20 nm exhibit a pronounced IP critical field enhancement, inversely correlated with 2D carrier density. This marks a distinct crossover to unconventional superconductivity with strong spin-orbit-parity coupling. Our findings underscore the crucial role of sample thickness in accessing topological states in 2D topological superconductors, offering pivotal insights into future studies of topological superconductivity. 

Recent research has demonstrated the potential for topological superconductivity, anisotropic Majorana bound states, optical nonlinearity, and enhanced electrochemical activity for transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with a 2M structure. These unique TMD compounds exhibit metastability and, upon heating, undergo a transition to the thermodynamically stable 2H phase. The 2M phase is commonly made at high temperatures using traditional solid-state methods, and this metastability further complicates the growth of large 2M WS2 crystals. Herein, a novel synthetic method was developed, focusing on a molten salt reaction to synthesize large 2H crystals and then inducing transformation to the 2M phase through intercalation and thermal treatment. The 2H crystals were intercalated via a room-temperature sodium naphthalenide solution, producing a previously unreported Na-intercalated 2H WS2 phase. Thermal heating was required to facilitate the phase transition to the intercalated 2M crystal structure. This phase transition was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Raman spectroscopy, which confirmed the synthesis of the intercalated 2M phase. Upon deintercalation, crystal and powder samples showed superconductivity with a Tc of 8.6–8.7 K, similar to previously reported values. The generality of this process was further demonstrated using alkali metal triethyl borohydride to intercalate 2H WS2 and produced the desired 2M phase. This novel synthetic method has broad implications for discovering metastable phases in other TMD families and layered materials. Separation of the intercalation and phase transition also has the potential to allow for large-scale synthesis of this technologically important phase with greater control over each step of the reaction. 

Abstract The investigation of exotic properties in two-dimensional (2D) topological superconductors has garnered increasing attention in condensed matter physics, particularly for applications in topological qubits. Despite this interest, a reliable way of fabricating topological Josephson junctions (JJs) utilizing topological superconductors has yet to be demonstrated. Controllable structural phase transition presents a unique approach to achieving topological JJs in atomically thin 2D topological superconductors. In this work, we report the pioneering demonstration of a structural phase transition from the superconducting to the semiconducting phase in the 2D topological superconductor 2M-WS₂. We reveal that the metastable 2M phase of WS₂remains stable in ambient conditions but transitions to the 2H phase when subjected to temperatures above 150 °C. We further locally induced the 2H phase within 2M-WS₂nanolayers using laser irradiation. Notably, the 2H phase region exhibits a hexagonal shape, and scanning tunneling microscopy uncovers an atomically sharp crystal structural transition between the 2H and 2M phase regions. Moreover, the 2M to 2H phase transition can be induced at the nanometer scale by a 200 kV electron beam. The electrical transport measurements further confirmed the superconductivity of the pristine 2M-WS₂and the semiconducting behavior of the laser-irradiated 2M-WS₂. Our results establish a novel approach for controllable topological phase change in 2D topological superconductors, significantly impacting the development of atomically scaled planar topological JJs.