Ultralow-Tensile Strain Enables Exciton Funneling and Energy Transfer to Boost MoSe2 Photoluminescence Quantum Yield

Strain engineering is a powerful route for controlling the exciton dynamics in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures (HSs). The interlayer energy transfer (ET) process is another key factor in controlling the photocarrier relaxation pathways in vdW HSs. In this work, we combine these two processes to achieve an 8-fold enhancement to the relative photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) in a HS formed from monolayers of ReS2 and MoSe2, separated by a thin hBN interlayer, placed onto an hBN bubble. We achieve this enhancement by applying only 0.1% biaxial tensile strain, which results in efficient exciton funneling and an increased transition dipole moment. Our experimental data are supported by first-principles density-functional theory and coherent transfer-matrix method calculations, ruling out optical interference as the dominant origin of the enhancement. This work provides an innovative route for enhancing the PL QY of vdW materials via interplay between the tensile strain and the ET process.