Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

1T-IrTe2 exhibits an intriguing series of charge-ordered states in both bulk and atomically thin layers. The charge orders in IrTe2 emerge with consecutive first-order structural transitions involving in-plane Ir–Ir dimerization and interlayer Te–Te depolymerization, resulting in stripe patterns with various periods. Upon chemical doping, 1T-IrTe2 can also be driven into a superconductor. Despite the intense research effort, a comprehensive understanding of the nature of the charge ordering and its relation to the superconductivity is yet to be reached. This review provides an overview of the novel charge orders and the emergence of superconductivity in IrTe2. We further introduce the recent studies on IrTe2 nanoflake, in which novel charge orders attainable only in two-dimensional limits lay the grounds for an exotic phase diagram.