Weak localization and electron-phonon interaction in layered Zintl phase SrIn2P2single crystal.

ABSTRACT

Recently, the Zintl phase SrIn2P2single crystal was proposed to be a topological insulator candidate under lattice strain. Here, we report systematic electrical transport studies on the unstrained layered SrIn2P2single crystals. The resistance presents a minimum value aroundTc= 136 K and then increases remarkably at low temperature. Distinct negative magnetoresistance belowTc, combined with the anomalous resistance, implies the carriers are weak localized at low temperature due to strong quantum coherence. Further analysis based on three-dimensional weak localization (WL) model suggests that the electron-phonon interaction dominates the phase decoherence process. Moreover, Hall measurements indicate that the transport properties are mainly dominated by hole-type carriers, and the WL effect is obviously affected by the carrier transport. These findings not only provide us a promising platform for the fundamental physical research but also open up a new route for exploring the potential electronic applications.