Pressure Enhanced Remote Moiré Electrostatic Potential in Twisted Bilayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

The long-wavelength periodic moiré potential in moiré superlattices strongly modifies electronic behavior and gives rise to correlated quantum phenomena. Recent works show that remote moiré electrostatic potentials (RMEPs) allow moiré superlattices to be created in untwisted two-dimensional materials. Achieving continuous and reversible control of such RMEPs is essential for dynamic modulation of correlated states. Here, using first-principles calculations, we investigate how external pressure modulates RMEPs generated by twisted transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers. We find that pressure can significantly enhance the RMEP amplitude by 50-100%. This enhancement originates from the amplified piezocharge density caused by pressure-strengthened lattice reconstruction. These findings highlight the crucial role of the piezoelectric effect in generating the RMEPs and identify pressure as an effective method for their dynamic tuning, thereby opening new opportunities for engineering moiré superlattices and correlated quantum states.