Toward 1D Transport in 3D Materials: SOC-Induced Charge-Transport Anisotropy in Sm 3 ZrBi 5 .

1D charge transport offers great insight into strongly correlated physics, such as Luttinger liquids, electronic instabilities, and superconductivity. Although 1D charge transport is observed in nanomaterials and quantum wires, examples in bulk crystalline solids remain elusive. In this work, it is demonstrated that spin-orbit coupling (SOC) can act as a mechanism to induce quasi-1D charge transport in the Ln ₃ MPn ₅ (Ln = lanthanide; M = transition metal; Pn = Pnictide) family. From three example compounds, La ₃ ZrSb ₅ , La ₃ ZrBi ₅ , and Sm ₃ ZrBi ₅ , density functional theory calculations with SOC included show a quasi-1D Fermi surface in the bismuthide compounds, but an anisotropic 3D Fermi surface in the antimonide structure. By performing anisotropic charge transport measurements on La ₃ ZrSb ₅ , La ₃ ZrBi ₅ , and Sm ₃ ZrBi ₅ , it is demonstrated that SOC starkly affects their anisotropic resistivity ratios (ARR) at low temperatures, with an ARR of ≈4 in the antimonide compared to ≈9.5 and ≈22 (≈32 after magnetic ordering) in La ₃ ZrBi ₅ and Sm ₃ ZrBi ₅ , respectively. This report demonstrates the utility of spin-orbit coupling to induce quasi-low-dimensional Fermi surfaces in anisotropic crystal structures, and provides a template for examining other systems.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Materials published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)