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We investigated the temperature dependence of resistivity in thin crystals of FeSe1−xTex (x = 1.0, 0.95, and 0.9), though bulk crystals with 1.0 ≧ × ≧ 0.9 are known to be non-superconducting. With decreasing thickness of the crystals, the resistivity of x = 0.95 and 0.9 decreases and reaches zero at a low temperature, which indicates a clear superconducting transition. The anomaly of resistivity related to the structural and magnetic transitions completely disappears in 55- to 155-nm-thick crystals of x = 0.9, resulting in metallic behavior in the normal state. Microbeam x-ray diffraction measurements were performed on bulk single crystals and thin crystals of FeSe1−xTex. A significant difference of the lattice constant, c, was observed in FeSe1−xTex, which varied with differing Te content (x), and even in crystals with the same x, which was mainly caused by inhomogeneity of the Se/Te distribution. It has been found that the characteristic temperatures causing the structural and magnetic transition (T t), the superconducting transition (T c), and the zero resistivity (T c zero) are closely related to the value of c in thin crystals of FeSe1−xTex.

The temperature dependence of the resistivity (ρ) of Ag-doped Bi2Se3 (AgxBi2−xSe3) shows insulating behavior above 35 K, but below 35 K, ρ suddenly decreases with decreasing temperature, in contrast to the metallic behavior for non-doped Bi2Se3 at 1.5–300 K. This significant change in transport properties from metallic behavior clearly shows that the Ag doping of Bi2Se3 can effectively tune the Fermi level downward. The Hall effect measurement shows that carrier is still electron in AgxBi2−xSe3 and the electron density changes with temperature to reasonably explain the transport properties. Furthermore, the positive gating of AgxBi2−xSe3 provides metallic behavior that is similar to that of non-doped Bi2Se3, indicating a successful upward tuning of the Fermi level.

Field-effect transistors (FETs) were fabricated using exfoliated single crystals of Mo(Se1-x Te-x)(2) with an x range of 0 to 1, and the transistor properties fully investigated at 295 K in four-terminal measurement mode. The chemical composition and crystal structure of exfoliated single crystals were identified by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), single-crystal x-ray diffraction, and Raman scattering, suggesting the 2H - structure in all Mo(Se1-x Te-x)(2). The lattice constants of a and c increase monotonically with increasing x, indicating the substitution of Se by Te. When x 0.4. In contrast, the polarity of a thick single-crystal Mo(Se1-x Te-x)(2) FET did not change despite an increase in x. The change of polarity in a thin single-crystal FET was well explained by the variation of electronic structure. The absence of such change in the thick single-crystal FET can be reasonably interpreted based on the large bulk conduction due to naturally accumulated electrons. The mu value in the thin single-crystal FET showed a parabolic variation, with a minimum mu at around x = 0.4, which probably originates from the disorder of the single crystal caused by the partial replacement of Se by Te, i.e., a disorder that may be due to ionic size difference of Se and Te.

The superconducting transition temperature T-c of ammoniated metal-doped FeSe (NH3)(y)MxFeSe (M: metal atom) has been scaled with the FeSe plane spacing, and it has been suggested that the FeSe plane spacing depends on the location of metal atoms in (NH3)(y)MxFeSe crystals. Although the crystal structure of (NH3)(y)LixFeSe exhibiting a high T-c (similar to 44 K) was determined from neutron diffraction, the structure of (NH3)(y)MxFeSe exhibiting a low T-c (similar to 32 K) has not been determined thus far. Here, we determined the crystal structure of (NH3)(y)Cs0.4FeSe (T-c = 33 K) through the Rietveld refinement of the x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern measured with synchrotron radiation at 30 K. The XRD pattern was analyzed based on two different models, on-center and off-center, under a space group of 14/mmm. In the on-center structure, the Cs occupies the 2a site and the N of NH3 may occupy either the 4c or 2b site, or both. In the off-center structure, the Cs may occupy either the 4c or 2b site, or both, while the N occupies the 2a site. Only an on-center structure model in which the Cs occupies the 2a and the N of NH3 occupies the 4c site provided reasonable results in the Rietveld analysis. Consequently, we concluded that (NH3)(y)Cs0.4FeSe can be assigned to the on-center structure, which produces a smaller FeSe plane spacing leading to the lower T-c.

We previously discovered multiple superconducting phases in the ammoniated Na-doped FeSe material, (NH3)yNaxFeSe. To clarify the origin of the multiple superconducting phases, the variation of Tc was fully investigated as a function of x in (NH3)yNaxFeSe. The 32 K superconducting phase is mainly produced in the low-x region below 0.4, while only a single phase is observed at x = 1.1, with Tc = 45 K, showing that the Tc depends significantly on x, but it changes discontinuously with x. The crystal structure of (NH3)yNaxFeSe does not change as x increases up to 1.1, i.e., the space group of I4/mmm. The lattice constants, a and c, of the low-Tc phase (Tc = 32.5 K) are 3.9120(9) and 14.145(8) Å, respectively, while a = 3.8266(7) Å and c = 17.565(9) Å for the high-Tc phase (~46 K). The c increases in the high Tc phase, implying that the Tc is directly related to c. In (NH3)yLixFeSe material, the Tc varies continuously within the range of 39 to 44 K with changing x. Thus, the behavior of Tc is different from that of (NH3)yNaxFeSe. The difference may be due to the difference in the sites that the Na and Li occupy.

We study the electronic properties in few-layer graphenes (FLGs) classified by even/odd layer number n. FLGs with even n have only parabolic energy dispersions, whereas FLGs with odd n have a linear dispersion besides parabolic ones. This difference leads to a distinct density of states in FLGs, experimentally confirmed by the gate-voltage dependence of the electric double-layer capacitance. Thus, FLGs with odd n are unique materials that have relativistic carriers originating in linear energy dispersion.

Ionic-liquid gates have a high carrier density due to their atomically thin electric double layer (EDL) and extremely large geometrical capacitance C-g. However, a high carrier density in graphene has not been achieved even with ionic-liquid gates because the EDL capacitance C-EDL between the ionic liquid and graphene involves the series connection of C-g and the quantum capacitance C-q, which is proportional to the density of states. We investigated the variables that determine C-EDL at the molecular level by varying the number of graphene layers n and thereby optimising C-q. The C-EDL value is governed by C-q at n, 4, and by C-g at n > 4. This transition with n indicates a composite nature for C-EDL. Our finding clarifies a universal principle that determines capacitance on a microscopic scale, and provides nanotechnological perspectives on charge accumulation and energy storage using an ultimately thin capacitor.

Graphene has two kinds of edges which have different electronic properties. A singular electronic state emerges at zigzag edges, while it disappears at armchair edges. We study the edge-dependent transport properties in few-layer graphene by applying a side gate voltage to the edge with an ionic liquid. The devices indicating a conductance peak at the charge neutrality point have zigzag edges, confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy mapping. The hopping transport between zigzag edges increases the conductance.

Electrostatic carrier-doping is attracting serious attention as a meaningful technique for producing interesting electronic states in two-dimensional (2D) layered materials. Ionic-liquid gating can provide the critical carrier density required to induce the metal-insulator transition and superconductivity. However, the physical properties of only a few materials have been controlled by the electrostatic carrier-doping during the past decade. Here, we report an observation of superconductivity in a 2D layered material, LaOBiS2, achieved by the electrostatic electron-doping. The electron doping of LaOBiS2 induced metallic conductivity in the normally insulating LaOBiS2, ultimately led to superconductivity. The superconducting transition temperature, Tc, was 3.6 K, higher than the 2.7 K seen in LaO1-xFxBiS2 with an electron-doped BiS2 layer. A rapid drop in resistance (R) was observed at low temperature, which disappeared with the application of high magnetic fields, implying a superconducting state. This st...

From the C 1s and K 2p photoelectron holograms, we directly reconstructed atomic images of the cleaved surface of a bimetal-intercalated graphite superconductor, (Ca, K)C8, which differed substantially from the expected bulk crystal structure based on x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Graphene atomic images were collected in the in-plane cross sections of the layers 3.3 Å and 5.7 Å above the photoelectron emitter C atom and the stacking structures were determined as AB- and AA-type, respectively. The intercalant metal atom layer was found between two AA-stacked graphenes. The K atomic image revealing 2 × 2 periodicity, occupying every second centre site of C hexagonal columns, was reconstructed, and the Ca 2p peak intensity in the photoelectron spectra of (Ca, K)C8 from the cleaved surface was less than a few hundredths of the K 2p peak intensity. These observations indicated that cleavage preferentially occurs at the KC8 layers containing no Ca atoms.

Field-effect transistor (FET) devices using thin crystals of FeSe1−xTex (x = 0.9 and 1.0) have been fabricated with an electric-double-layer (EDL) capacitor. Despite the presence of substantial quantities of electron and hole carriers in the bulk due to the semimetallic electronic structure of FeSe1−xTex, we have observed p-channel depletion-type FET characteristics, in contrast to the n-channel normally on FET characteristics of a Bi2Se3 EDL FET. In FeSe1−xTex, the mobile carriers, holes, are depleted in the channel region by accumulating electrons, resulting in a decrease in conductivity. This result is consistent with the experimentally observed positive Hall coefficient at room temperature.