  Creating heterostructures with graphene/graphite is a practical method for
charge-doping $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$, but not sufficient to cause the
insulator-to-metal transition. In this study, detailed scanning tunneling
microscopy/spectroscopy measurements on $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ with various lattice
deformations reveal that both in-plane and out-of-plane lattice distortions may
collapse the Mott-gap in the case of monolayer $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ in proximity
to graphite, but have little impact on its bulk form alone. In the Mott-Hubbard
framework, the transition is attributed to the lattice distortion-facilitated
substantial modulation of the electron correlation parameter. Observation of
the orbital textures on a highly compressed monolayer $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ flake
on graphite provides valuable evidence that electrons are efficiently
transferred from the heterointerface into Cl3$p$ orbitals under the lattice
distortion. It is believed that the splitting of Ru $t_{2g}$ bands within the
trigonal distortion of Ru-Cl-Ru octahedra bonds generated the electrons
transfer pathways. The increase of the Cl3$p$ states enhance the hopping
integral in the Mott-Hubbard bands, resulting in the Mott-transition. These
findings suggest a new route for implementing the insulator-to-metal transition
upon doping in $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ by deforming the lattice in addition to the
formation of heterostructure.
