Correlated one-dimensional electron conduction in ferroelastic domain walls through nematic-like charge stripes

Abstract

One-dimensional electronic transport reveals many-body quantum phenomena and serves as a foundation for quantum devices, sensors, and reconfigurable electronics. Here, we demonstrate that surface-exposed ferroelastic twin walls in epitaxial WO 3 films function as intrinsic one-dimensional channels, confining electrons to screen surface-bound charges induced by flexoelectric polarization. Scanning tunneling microscopy uncovers a self-organized nematic-like phase forming periodic stripes perpendicular to the walls. Conductive atomic force microscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy resolve quantized one-dimensional states and reveal conductance enhancements exceeding two orders of magnitude along the twin walls relative to the surrounding semi-insulating surface regions at room temperature. Temperature-dependent transport follows an Efros–Shklovskii variable-range hopping law, with a crossover near 140 K and a localization length of 39 Å—identical to the stripe period—signifying Coulomb-coupled electrons confined within stripe-induced potential wells along the walls. These findings establish WO 3 ferroelastic walls as a tunable platform for engineering one-dimensional correlated electron states.