Proximity effects in topological insulator heterostructures
Topological insulators （Tls） are bulk insulators that possess robust helical conducting states along their interfaces with conventional insulators. A tremendous research effort has recently been devoted to TI-based heterostructures, in which con- ventional proximity effects give rise to a series of...
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| Published in | Chinese physics B Vol. 22; no. 9; pp. 84 - 92 |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
01.09.2013
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| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Topological insulators （Tls） are bulk insulators that possess robust helical conducting states along their interfaces with conventional insulators. A tremendous research effort has recently been devoted to TI-based heterostructures, in which con- ventional proximity effects give rise to a series of exotic physical phenomena. This paper reviews our recent studies on the potential existence of topological proximity effects at the interface between a topological insulator and a normal insu- lator or other topologically trivial systems. Using first-principles approaches, we have realized the tunability of the vertical location of the topological helical state via intriguing dual-proximity effects. To further elucidate the control parameters of this effect, we have used the graphene-based heterostructures as prototypical systems to reveal a more complete phase diagram. On the application side of the topological helical states, we have presented a catalysis example, where the topo- logical helical state plays an essential role in facilitating surface reactions by serving as an effective electron bath, These discoveries lay the foundation for accurate manipulation of the real space properties of the topological helical state in TI- based heterostructures and pave the way for realization of the salient functionality of topological insulators in future device applications. |
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| Bibliography: | Li Xiao-Guang, Zhang Gu-Feng, Wu Guang-Fen, Chen Hua, Dimitrie Culcer, Zhang Zhen-Yu（ a） Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China b） International Center Ibr Quantum Design of Functional Materials （ICQD）/Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale （HFNL） University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China C） Depamnent of Physics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA d） School of Physics, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia topological insulator, heterostructure, proximity effect, catalysis Topological insulators （Tls） are bulk insulators that possess robust helical conducting states along their interfaces with conventional insulators. A tremendous research effort has recently been devoted to TI-based heterostructures, in which con- ventional proximity effects give rise to a series of exotic physical phenomena. This paper reviews our recent studies on the potential existence of topological proximity effects at the interface between a topological insulator and a normal insu- lator or other topologically trivial systems. Using first-principles approaches, we have realized the tunability of the vertical location of the topological helical state via intriguing dual-proximity effects. To further elucidate the control parameters of this effect, we have used the graphene-based heterostructures as prototypical systems to reveal a more complete phase diagram. On the application side of the topological helical states, we have presented a catalysis example, where the topo- logical helical state plays an essential role in facilitating surface reactions by serving as an effective electron bath, These discoveries lay the foundation for accurate manipulation of the real space properties of the topological helical state in TI- based heterostructures and pave the way for realization of the salient functionality of topological insulators in future device applications. 11-5639/O4 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 1674-1056 2058-3834 1741-4199 |
| DOI: | 10.1088/1674-1056/22/9/097306 |