Atomically Thin Kagome-Structured Co₉Te₁₆ Achieved through Self-Intercalation and Its Flat Band Visualization.

Abstract

Kagome materials have recently garnered substantial attention due to the intrinsic flat band feature and the stimulated magnetic and spin-related many-body physics. In contrast to their bulk counterparts, two-dimensional (2D) kagome materials feature more distinct kagome bands, beneficial for exploring novel quantum phenomena. Herein, we report the direct synthesis of an ultrathin kagome-structured Co-telluride (Co₉Te₁₆) via a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) route and clarify its formation mechanism from the Co-intercalation in the 1T-CoTe₂ layers. More significantly, we unveil the flat band states in the ultrathin Co₉Te₁₆ and identify the real-space localization of the flat band states by <i>in situ</i> scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) combined with first-principles calculations. A ferrimagnetic order is also predicted in kagome-Co₉Te₁₆. This work should provide a novel route for the direct synthesis of ultrathin kagome materials via a metal self-intercalation route, which should shed light on the exploration of the intriguing flat band physics in the related systems.