Freestanding Nanolayers of a Wide-Gap Topological Insulator through Liquid-Phase Exfoliation.

ABSTRACT: The layered salt Bi₁₄ Rh₃ I₉ is a weak three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator (TI), that is, a stack of two-dimensional (2D) TIs. It has a wide non-trivial band gap of 210 meV, which is generated by strong spin-orbit coupling, and possesses protected electronic edge-states. In the structure, charged layers of ∞ 2 [ (Bi₄ Rh)₃ I]²⁺ honeycombs and ∞ 1 [ Bi₂ I₈ ]^2- chains alternate. The non-trivial topology of Bi₁₄ Rh₃ I₉ is an inherent property of the 2D intermetallic fragment. Here, the exfoliation of Bi₁₄ Rh₃ I₉ was performed using two different chemical approaches: (a) through a reaction with n-butyllithium and

SUBMITTER: Le Anh M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7839554 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature