59 research outputs found
2D layered transport properties from topological insulator BiSe single crystals and micro flakes
Low-field magnetotransport measurements of topological insulators such as
BiSe are important for revealing the nature of topological surface
states by quantum corrections to the conductivity, such as
weak-antilocalization. Recently, a rich variety of high-field magnetotransport
properties in the regime of high electron densities ( cm)
were reported, which can be related to additional two-dimensional layered
conductivity, hampering the identification of the topological surface states.
Here, we report that quantum corrections to the electronic conduction are
dominated by the surface states for a semiconducting case, which can be
analyzed by the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka model for two coupled surfaces in the
case of strong spin-orbit interaction. However, in the metallic-like case this
analysis fails and additional two-dimensional contributions need to be
accounted for. Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and quantized Hall resistance
prove as strong indications for the two-dimensional layered metallic behavior.
Temperature-dependent magnetotransport properties of high-quality BiSe
single crystalline exfoliated macro and micro flakes are combined with high
resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray
spectroscopy, confirming the structure and stoichiometry. Angle-resolved
photoemission spectroscopy proves a single-Dirac-cone surface state and a
well-defined bulk band gap in topological insulating state. Spatially resolved
core-level photoelectron microscopy demonstrates the surface stability.Comment: Sci. Rep. (2016
Insight into Bio-metal Interface Formation in vacuo: Interplay of S-layer Protein with Copper and Iron
The mechanisms of interaction between inorganic matter and biomolecules, as well as properties of resulting hybrids, are receiving growing interest due to the rapidly developing field of bionanotechnology. The majority of potential applications for metal-biohybrid structures require stability of these systems under vacuum conditions, where their chemistry is elusive, and may differ dramatically from the interaction between biomolecules and metal ions in vivo. Here we report for the first time a photoemission and X-ray absorption study of the formation of a hybrid metal-protein system, tracing step-by-step the chemical interactions between the protein and metals (Cu and Fe) in vacuo. Our experiments reveal stabilization of the enol form of peptide bonds as the result of protein-metal interactions for both metals. The resulting complex with copper appears to be rather stable. In contrast, the system with iron decomposes to form inorganic species like oxide, carbide, nitride, and cyanide
Magnetic Dirac semimetal state of (Mn,Ge)BiTe
For quantum electronics, the possibility to finely tune the properties of
magnetic topological insulators (TIs) is a key issue. We studied solid
solutions between two isostructural Z TIs, magnetic MnBiTe and
nonmagnetic GeBiTe, with Z invariants of 1;000 and 1;001,
respectively. For high-quality, large mixed crystals of
GeMnBiTe, we observed linear x-dependent magnetic
properties, composition-independent pairwise exchange interactions along with
an easy magnetization axis. The bulk band gap gradually decreases to zero for
from 0 to 0.4, before reopening for , evidencing topological phase
transitions (TPTs) between topologically nontrivial phases and the semimetal
state. The TPTs are driven purely by the variation of orbital contributions. By
tracing the x-dependent contribution to the states near the fundamental
gap, the effective spin-orbit coupling variation is extracted. As varies,
the maximum of this contribution switches from the valence to the conduction
band, thereby driving two TPTs. The gapless state observed at closely
resembles a Dirac semimetal above the Neel temperature and shows a magnetic gap
below, which is clearly visible in raw photoemission data. The observed
behavior of the GeMnBiTe system thereby demonstrates an
ability to precisely control topological and magnetic properties of TIs
Native and graphene-coated flat and stepped surfaces of TiC
Titanium carbide attracts growing interest as a substrate for graphene growth and as a component of the composite carbon materials for supercapacitors, an electrode material for metal-air batteries. For all these applications, the surface chemistry of titanium carbide is highly relevant and being, however, insufficiently explored especially at atomic level is a subject of our studies. Applying X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to clean (111) and (755) surfaces of TiC, we were able to obtain the detailed spectroscopic pattern containing information on the plasmon structure, shake up satellite, the peak asymmetry and, finally, surface core level shift (SCLS) in C 1s spectra. The latter is essential for further precise studies of chemical reactions. Later on, we studied interface between TiC (111) and (755) and graphene and found the SCLS variation due to strong chemical interaction between graphene and substrate. This interaction is also reflected in the peculiar band structure of graphene probed by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). Based on LEED data the structure is close to (7√3 × 7√3)R30°, with graphene being slightly corrugated. We found that similarly to the graphene on metals, the chemical interaction between graphene and TiC can be weakened by means of intercalation of oxygen atoms underneath graphene.We thank Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) for the allocation of synchrotron radiation beamtimes at the Russian-German and UE112-PGM2 beamlines. The work was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project 16-42-01093). DFT calculations were performed at “Lomonosov” MSU supercomputer.Peer reviewe
Site- and spin-dependent coupling at the highly ordered h-BN/Co(0001) interface
Using photoelectron diffraction and spectroscopy, we explore the structural and electronic properties of the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayer epitaxially grown on the Co(0001) surface. Perfect matching of the lattice parameters allows formation of a well-defined interface where the B atoms occupy the hollow sites while the N atoms are located above the Co atoms. The corrugation of the h-BN monolayer and its distance from the substrate were determined by means of R-factor analysis. The obtained results are in perfect agreement with the density functional theory (DFT) predictions. The electronic structure of the interface is characterized by a significant mixing of the h-BN and Co states. Such hybridized states appear in the h-BN band gap. This allows to obtain atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images from the formally insulating 2D material being in contact with ferromagnetic metal. The STM images reveal mainly the nitrogen sublattice due to a dominating contribution of nitrogen orbitals to the electronic states at the Fermi level. We believe that the high quality, well-defined structure and interesting electronic properties make the h-BN/Co(0001) interface suitable for spintronic applications.L.V.Ya. acknowledges the RSF (Grant No. 16-42-01093). A.V.T., V.O.S., K.A.B., O.Yu.V., and D.Yu.U. acknowledge St. Petersburg State University for research Grant No. 11.65.42.2017. M.V.K. and I.I.O. acknowledge the RFBR (Grant No. 16-29-06410). C.L. acknowledges the DFG (Grant Nos. LA655-17/1 and LA655-19/1).Peer reviewe
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