Straintronics exploits the optical and electrical properties of layered materials through mechanical deformation, offering a facile and efficient approach for device optimization. Layered ZrSe 3 , an in-plane anisotropic two-dimensional material, exhibits large strain response on the band structure, has emerged as an ideal candidate next-generation Straintronics.
A team of physics scientists led by Baoli Liu from N10 group, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing, China recently outlined the large strain tunability of excitons in ZrSe 3 via cryogenic environment. Strain engineering provides an efficient approach for tailoring the electrical and optical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials, making them suitable candidates for straintronic applications, especially flexible optoelectronic devices. Therefore, the larger strain response on bandgap of 2D materials is highly on demand. Based on this research, the exceptional strain tunability highlights ZrSe₃ as a promising material for flexible photodetectors and provides new insights into the manipulation of optical properties in 2D materials.
The team published their work in Nano research on May 12, 2026.
“In this paper, we have investigated strain-induced exciton modulation in layered ZrSe 3 under cryogenic conditions. Herein, pronounced redshift of excitonic resonances in ZrSe 3 on polycarbonate with a large gauge factor of ~136 meV/%, induced by biaxial compression under cryogenic temperatures, was observed by differential reflectance spectroscopy. These findings establish ZrSe₃ as a highly strain-sensitive anisotropic semiconductor, offering significant potential for next-generation straintronic applications, especially flexible optoelectronic devices”, said Baoli Liu, corresponding author of this article, professor in N10 group of Nanoscale Physics and Devices Laboratory at Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science.
Straintronics, a branch of nanoelectronics, exploits mechanical strain to modify the electrical and optical properties of semiconductor materials, especially 2D van der Waals materials. Owing to their atomically thin nature, 2D materials are able to sustain ultrahigh strains without compromising the structure stability and present rather intrinsic strain-sensitive band structures, which offers an extraordinary manipulation feasibility on the bandgap that determines their electrical and optical properties. Baoli Liu said, “This characteristic endows 2D materials superior suitability for straintronics, showing considerable potential application such as wearable bioelectronic devices, stretchable sensors, and flexible optoelectronic devices especially photodetectors”.
The research team further explains the selection of ZrSe 3 in this work. Recently, the IV-V transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) have been paid attention in the field of Straintronics due to the orientation-resolved response to strain originates from a reduced in-plane structural symmetry. “As a member of group TMTCs, the multi-layer ZrSe 3 presented a large gauge factor of 60-95 meV/% under the uniaxial tensile strain applied along crystallographic b axis which is 2-3 times larger than that in MoS 2 with same strain strategy, demonstrating an enhanced band structure regulation. This characteristic offers ZrSe 3 material the potential on straintronics since large strain response leads to ultrahigh sensitivity and responsivity. Despite the relatively-high strain response of ZrSe 3 induced by uniaxial strain has been studied, the biaxial strain on the multi-layer ZrSe 3 is not investigated up to now, which has motivated our research interest”, Baoli Liu said.
In order to apply biaxial compressive strain to layered ZrSe 3 flakes, the research team came up with a strategy of cooling down the ZrSe 3 flakes, which is transferred on polycarbonate substrate, to cryogenic temperatures. The biaxial strain was then introduced into ZrSe 3 by the thermal shrinkage of PC substrate. The differential reflectance spectroscopy was utilized to probe the compressive strain-tuned exciton peak in multi-layer ZrSe 3 under various temperatures. Remarkably, a dramatic redshift of exciton peak with a gauge factor of ~136 meV/% was observed, which is comparable with the highest strain response on 2D materials to date. This result exhibits an exceptional strain tunability on the excitons as well as the band structure in multilayer ZrSe 3 .
The research team expects the paper to establish ZrSe₃ as a highly strain-sensitive anisotropic semiconductor and pave an avenue for band structure engineering in 2D materials, also to offer significant potential for next-generation straintronic applications, especially flexible optoelectronic devices.
Other contributors include Hao Li, Yu Hua, Jiaru Zhou, Geng Li, Changzhi Gu from Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Gang Wang from Beijing Institute of Technology, and Xiaofeng Fan from Jilin University.
This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grants 2024YFA1207700, 2021YFA1400700, and 2022YFA1204100), the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (Grants No. 12404042), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (GZC20241892), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) (Grant XDB33020200).
DOI Link:
https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2026.94908438
About Nano Research
Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 8,000 articles. In 2025 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2025 IF is 9.4 (8.3, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.
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Large strain tunability of excitons in ZrSe₃ via cryogenic environment
12-May-2026