Discovery and construction of surface kagome electronic states induced by p-d electronic hybridization in Co3Sn2S2

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 5230 - 8
• Main Authors: Huang, Li, Kong, Xianghua, Zheng, Qi, Xing, Yuqing, Chen, Hui, Li, Yan, Hu, Zhixin, Zhu, Shiyu, Qiao, Jingsi, Zhang, Yu-Yang, Cheng, Haixia, Cheng, Zhihai, Qiu, Xianggang, Liu, Enke, Lei, Hechang, Lin, Xiao, Wang, Ziqiang, Yang, Haitao, Ji, Wei, Gao, Hong-Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 26.08.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 147/138; 147/3; 639/301/119/544; 639/301/119/995; Atomic force microscopy; Atomic properties; CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; Density functional theory; Electron states; electronic properties and materials; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hybridization; multidisciplinary; Quantum computing; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); surfaces, interfaces and thin films; Synthesis; Topology; Transition metals
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40942-2

Kagome-lattice materials possess attractive properties for quantum computing applications, but their synthesis remains challenging. Herein, based on the compelling identification of the two cleavable surfaces of Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 , we show surface kagome electronic states (SKESs) on a Sn-terminated triangular Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 surface. Such SKESs are imprinted by vertical p-d electronic hybridization between the surface Sn (subsurface S) atoms and the buried Co kagome-lattice network in the Co 3 Sn layer under the surface. Owing to the subsequent lateral hybridization of the Sn and S atoms in a corner-sharing manner, the kagome symmetry and topological electronic properties of the Co 3 Sn layer is proximate to the Sn surface. The SKESs and both hybridizations were verified via qPlus non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) and density functional theory calculations. The construction of SKESs with tunable properties can be achieved by the atomic substitution of surface Sn (subsurface S) with other group III-V elements (Se or Te), which was demonstrated theoretically. This work exhibits the powerful capacity of nc-AFM in characterizing localized topological states and reveals the strategy for synthesis of large-area transition-metal-based kagome-lattice materials using conventional surface deposition techniques. Kagome materials host 2D planes which give rise to kagome physics, but these are typically embedded in the bulk. Huang et al. demonstrate a strategy for generating surface kagome electronic states by vertical p-d electronic hybridization between surface atoms and the buried Co kagome network in Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 .