Moiré superlattices are formed when two van der Waals layers are stacked vertically with a controlled twist angle. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are semiconductor building blocks with highly tunable optical properties. After reviewing some early studies, I will discuss the limitations of TMD-based moiré superlattices and propose twisted hBN substrates as a new approach to expand the strategy of moiré engineering to a broader range of photonic materials. I will show how the ferroelectric domains of the twisted hBN substrate can be used to modulate the optical properties of TMD monolayers.
Elaine Li is the Jack S. Josey Welch Foundation Science Chair Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Texas at Austin and Founding Co-Director of the Texas Quantum Institute. Dr. Li received her M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research focuses on light–matter interactions and quantum materials, with an emphasis on ultrafast optical spectroscopy, nanoscale photonics, and emergent phenomena in condensed matter systems. Dr. Li is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, OPTICA, and the American Physical Society. She has received numerous honors, including the Peter O’Donnell Award from the Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, and a Humboldt Fellowship. She served in the chair line of the Division of Laser Science of the American Physical Society from 2022 to 2025.