Achieving environmental stability in an atomically thin quantum spin Hall insulator via graphene intercalation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38374074.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-45816-9 and PMC identifier 10876696.
- 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
Atomic monolayers on semiconductor surfaces represent an emerging class of functional quantum materials in the two-dimensional limit - ranging from superconductors and Mott insulators to ferroelectrics and quantum spin Hall insulators. Indenene, a triangular monolayer of indium with a gap of ~ 120 meV is a quantum spin Hall insulator whose micron-scale epitaxial growth on SiC(0001) makes it technologically relevant. However, its suitability for room-temperature spintronics is challenged by the instability of its topological character in air. It is imperative to develop a strategy to protect the topological nature of indenene during ex situ processing and device fabrication. Here we show that intercalation of indenene into epitaxial graphene provides effective protection from the oxidising environment, while preserving an intact topological character. Our approach opens a rich realm of ex situ experimental opportunities, priming monolayer quantum spin Hall insulators for realistic device fabrication and access to topologically protected edge channels.