The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.
Richard P. Feynman
This research uncovers the breakdown mechanisms of semimetallic PtSe₂ under high electric fields, showing self-heating-driven breakdown at room temperature and carrier multiplication at low temperatures. Thermal transport studies reveal the key role of flexural phonons in heat dissipation across 2D–2D and 2D–3D interfaces. Additionally, van der Waals semimetal/Ge contacts are shown to achieve Fermi-level de-pinning and Ohmic behavior, offering new opportunities for energy-efficient electronics.