Quantum Electronic Transport of Topological Surface States in β-Ag2Se Nanowire

Abstract

Single-crystalline β-Ag2Se nanostructures, a new class of 3D topological insulators (TIs), were synthesized using the chemical vapor transport method. The topological surface states were verified by measuring electronic transport properties including the weak antilocalization effect, Aharonov-Bohm oscillations, and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. First-principles band calculations revealed that the band inversion in β-Ag2Se is caused by strong spin-orbit coupling and Ag-Se bonding hybridization. These investigations provide evidence of nontrivial surface state about β-Ag2Se TIs that have anisotropic Dirac cones. © 2016 American Chemical Society.