Quasi-two-dimensional superconductivity from dimerization of atomically ordered AuTe2Se4/3 cubes

J. G. Guo, X. Chen, X. Y. Jia, Q. H. Zhang, N. Liu, H. C. Lei, S. Y. Li, L. Gu, S. F. Jin, X. L. Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The emergent phenomena such as superconductivity and topological phase transitions can be observed in strict two-dimensional (2D) crystalline matters. Artificial interfaces and one atomic thickness layers are typical 2D materials of this kind. Although having 2D characters, most bulky layered compounds, however, do not possess these striking properties. Here, we report quasi-2D superconductivity in bulky AuTe2Se4/3, where the reduction in dimensionality is achieved through inducing the elongated covalent Te-Te bonds. The atomic-resolution images reveal that the Au, Te, and Se are atomically ordered in a cube, among which are Te-Te bonds of 3.18 and 3.28 Å. The superconductivity at 2.85 K is discovered, which is unraveled to be the quasi-2D nature owing to the Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless topological transition. The nesting of nearly parallel Fermi sheets could give rise to strong electron-phonon coupling. It is proposed that further depleting the thickness could result in more topologically-related phenomena.

Original languageEnglish
Article number871
JournalNature Communications
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2017
Externally publishedYes

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