| Abstract Scope |
Field gradient engineering in van der Waals (vdW) semiconductors provides a unifying framework to control energy, charge-neutral quasiparticles, and electromechanical responses at the nanoscale. Here, we present a generalized approach that leverages spatial gradients in strain and electric fields to enable directed transport and actuation in atomically thin materials. In strain-engineered monolayer WSe2, controlled wrinkle architectures generate micrometer-scale bandgap gradients, producing efficient exciton funneling and long-range transport at room temperature, overcoming limitations of charge-neutral exciton manipulation. Complementarily, engineered electric-field gradients in monolayer MoS2 induce strong converse flexoelectric responses, enabling nanoscale mechanical actuation with displacements far exceeding the material thickness and scalable with field gradients. These results highlight a common physical principle: gradients in external or internal fields couple to intrinsic material degrees of freedom—electronic band structure or polarization—to generate directional flux or mechanical deformation. This field-gradient paradigm opens pathways toward programmable, energy-efficient nano-optoelectronic and nanoelectromechanical systems. |