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Ultrahigh conductivity in Weyl semimetal NbAs nanobelts.

Authors :
Zhang C
Ni Z
Zhang J
Yuan X
Liu Y
Zou Y
Liao Z
Du Y
Narayan A
Zhang H
Gu T
Zhu X
Pi L
Sanvito S
Han X
Zou J
Shi Y
Wan X
Savrasov SY
Xiu F
Source :
Nature materials [Nat Mater] 2019 May; Vol. 18 (5), pp. 482-488. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Mar 18.
Publication Year :
2019

Abstract

In two-dimensional (2D) systems, high mobility is typically achieved in low-carrier-density semiconductors and semimetals. Here, we discover that the nanobelts of Weyl semimetal NbAs maintain a high mobility even in the presence of a high sheet carrier density. We develop a growth scheme to synthesize single crystalline NbAs nanobelts with tunable Fermi levels. Owing to a large surface-to-bulk ratio, we argue that a 2D surface state gives rise to the high sheet carrier density, even though the bulk Fermi level is located near the Weyl nodes. A surface sheet conductance up to 5-100 S per □ is realized, exceeding that of conventional 2D electron gases, quasi-2D metal films, and topological insulator surface states. Corroborated by theory, we attribute the origin of the ultrahigh conductance to the disorder-tolerant Fermi arcs. The evidenced low-dissipation property of Fermi arcs has implications for both fundamental study and potential electronic applications.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1476-4660
Volume :
18
Issue :
5
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Nature materials
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
30886399
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-019-0320-9