Mitrofanovite Pt<sub>3</sub>Te<sub>4</sub>: A Topological Metal with Termination-Dependent Surface Band Structure and Strong Spin Polarization.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 34472336.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.1c04766 and PMC identifier 8482756.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Due to their peculiar quasiparticle excitations, topological metals have high potential for applications in the fields of spintronics, catalysis, and superconductivity. Here, by combining spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, and density functional theory, we discover surface-termination-dependent topological electronic states in the recently discovered mitrofanovite Pt<sub>3</sub>Te<sub>4</sub>. Mitrofanovite crystal is formed by alternating, van der Waals bound layers of Pt<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>2</sub> and PtTe<sub>2</sub>. Our results demonstrate that mitrofanovite is a topological metal with termination-dependent (i) electronic band structure and (ii) spin texture. Despite their distinct electronic character, both surface terminations are characterized by electronic states exhibiting strong spin polarization with a node at the Γ point and sign reversal across the Γ point, indicating their topological nature and the possibility of realizing two distinct electronic configurations (both of them with topological features) on the surface of the same material.