Symmetry breaking by self-intercalation: A gateway to room temperature nonlinear Hall effects in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides

Phase engineering of two-dimensional (2D) materials enables the exploration of unexpected physical phenomena. In a recent study, highly crystalline 6R-TaS₂ was synthesized via a self-intercalation-driven chemical vapor transport (CVT) method, yielding high electrical conductivity and a pronounced nonlinear Hall effect at room temperature. This work demonstrates that combining heterophase stacking with atomic intercalation provides an effective strategy for designing new materials with emergent properties.