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The geometry of topological insulators (TIs) has a major impact on the magnetoelectric band structure of their surface states. Here, we investigate the surface states of cylindrical TI bismuth telluride selenide nanowires with three different diameters, by parallel and transverse magnetoresistance (MR) measurements. In parallel configuration, we observe Aharonov-Bohm oscillations as well as weak antilocalization, indicating two-dimensional TI surface states. In transverse magnetic fields, we observed MR oscillations that are non-linear against the reciprocal of the magnetic field and thus cannot be explained by two- or three-dimensional states. Instead, our transport data analysis reveals that these MR oscillations are the consequence of one-dimensional edge channels at the nanowire surface that form due to the projection of the external magnetic field on the cylindrically curved surface plane in high magnetic fields. Our observation provides an exotic class of surface states that might be used for electronic and spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vapor–liquid–solid method for the growth of single‐crystalline (Bi1−xSbx)2Te3 nanowires with adjustable Bi–Sb mixing ratios is presented. Thermoelectric measurements on individual nanowires indicate a significant contribution from topological surface states to the total transport over the entire chemical composition range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermoelectric (TE) figure of merit ZT of topological insulator Bi2Te3, Sb2Te3, and Bi2Se3 thin film quantum wells is calculated for thicknesses below 10 nm, for which hybridization of the surface states as well as quantum confinement in the bulk are individually predicted to enhance ZT. Here, the question is addressed what ZT can be expected from coexisting surface and bulk states in such quantum wells. It is demonstrated that the parallel contributing bulk and surface channels tend to cancel each other out. This is because the surface-to-volume ratios of the thin films prevent the domination of transport through a single channel and because the individual bulk and surface ZTs are optimized at different Fermi levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We validate the linear dispersion relation (Dirac cone) on the surface of a single Bi2Te3 nanowire via a combination of field-effect and magnetoresistance measurements by which we unambiguously prove the topological insulator nature of the nanowire surface states. Moreover, we show that the experimentally determined carrier concentration, mobility, and cyclotron mass of the surface states are in excellent agreement with relativistic models. Our method provides a facile way to identify topological insulators that too small for angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]