In common with many other transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) compounds, which are metallic at high temperatures, it exhibits a series of charge-density-wave (CDW) phase transitions from 550 K to 50 K. It is unusual amongst them in showing a low-temperature insulating state below 200 K, which is believed to arise from electron correlations, similar to many oxides.

[9][10] It is also superconducting under pressure or upon doping, with a familiar dome-like phase diagram as a function of dopant, or substituted isovalent element concentration.

1T-TaS2 is unique, not only amongst TMDs but also amongst 'quantum materials' in general, in showing a metastable metallic state at low temperatures.

[12] Because of the frustrated triangular arrangement of localized electrons, the material is suspected of supporting some form of quantum spin liquid state.

[17] 2H-TaS2 is a superconductor with the bulk transition temperature TC = 0.5 K, which increases to 2.2 K in flakes with a thickness of a few atomic layers.

[16][23][22] Switching of the material to and from the "mosaic", or domain state, by optical or electrical pulses is used for "Charge configuration memory" (CCM) devices.

The distinguishing feature of such devices is that they exhibit very efficient and fast non-thermal resistance switching at low temperatures.

[12] Room temperature operation of a charge-density-wave oscillator and thermally-driven GHz modulation of the CDW state has been demonstrated.