Magnetic field filtering of the boundary supercurrent in unconventional metal NiTe2-based Josephson junctions.

Topological materials with boundary (surface/edge/hinge) states have attracted tremendous research interest. Additionally, unconventional (obstructed atomic) materials have recently drawn lots of attention owing to their obstructed boundary states. Experimentally, Josephson junctions (JJs) constructed on materials with boundary states produce the peculiar boundary supercurrent, which was utilized as a powerful diagnostic approach. Here, we report the observations of boundary supercurrent in NiTe2-based JJs. Particularly, applying an in-plane magnetic field along the Josephson current can rapidly suppress the bulk supercurrent and retain the nearly pure boundary supercurrent, namely the magnetic field filtering of supercurrent. Further systematic comparative analysis and theoretical calculations demonstrate the existence of unconventional nature and obstructed hinge states in NiTe2, which could produce hinge supercurrent that accounts for the observation. Our results reveal the probable hinge states in unconventional metal NiTe2, and demonstrate in-plane magnetic field as an efficient method to filter out the bulk contributions and thereby to highlight the hinge states hidden in topological/unconventional materials.

A robust and tunable Luttinger liquid in correlated edge of transition-metal second-order topological insulator Ta2Pd3Te5.

The interplay between topology and interaction always plays an important role in condensed matter physics and induces many exotic quantum phases, while rare transition metal layered material (TMLM) has been proved to possess both. Here we report a TMLM Ta2Pd3Te5 has the two-dimensional second-order topology (also a quadrupole topological insulator) with correlated edge states - Luttinger liquid. It is ascribed to the unconventional nature of the mismatch between charge- and atomic- centers induced by a remarkable double-band inversion. This one-dimensional protected edge state preserves the Luttinger liquid behavior with robustness and universality in scale from micro- to macro- size, leading to a significant anisotropic electrical transport through two-dimensional sides of bulk materials. Moreover, the bulk gap can be modulated by the thickness, resulting in an extensive-range phase diagram for Luttinger liquid. These provide an attractive model to study the interaction and quantum phases in correlated topological systems.

Composition and phase engineering of metal chalcogenides and phosphorous chalcogenides.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials with multiphase, multielement crystals such as transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) (based on V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cd, Pt and Pd) and transition metal phosphorous chalcogenides (TMPCs) offer a unique platform to explore novel physical phenomena. However, the synthesis of a single-phase/single-composition crystal of these 2D materials via chemical vapour deposition is still challenging. Here we unravel a competitive-chemical-reaction-based growth mechanism to manipulate the nucleation and growth rate. Based on the growth mechanism, 67 types of TMCs and TMPCs with a defined phase, controllable structure and tunable component can be realized. The ferromagnetism and superconductivity in FeXy can be tuned by the y value, such as superconductivity observed in FeX and ferromagnetism in FeS2 monolayers, demonstrating the high quality of as-grown 2D materials. This work paves the way for the multidisciplinary exploration of 2D TMPCs and TMCs with unique properties.

The Pathogenesis in Alzheimer's Disease: TREM2 as a Potential Target.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is ranked as the third-most expensive illness and sixth leading cause of mortality. It is associated with the deposition of extracellular amyloid-ß (Aß) in neural plaques (NPs), as well as intracellular hyperphosphorylated tau proteins that form neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). As a new target in regulating neuroinflammation in AD, triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is highly and exclusively expressed on the microglial surface. TREM2 interacts with adaptor protein DAP12 to initiate signal pathways that mainly dominant microglia phenotype and phagocytosis mobility. Furthermore, TREM2 gene mutations confer increased AD risk, and TREM2 deficiency exhibits more dendritic spine loss around neural plaques. Mechanisms for regulating TREM2 to alleviate AD has evolved as an area of AD research in recent years. Current medications targeting Aß or tau proteins are unable to reverse AD progression. Emerging evidence implicating neuroinflammation may provide novel insights, as early microglia-related inflammation can be induced decades prior to the commencement of AD-related cognitive damage. Physical exercise can exert a neuroprotective effect over the course of AD progression. This review aims to (1) summarize the pathogenesis of AD and recent updates in the field, (2) assess the concept that AD cognitive impairment is closely correlated with microglia-related inflammation, and (3) review TREM2 functions and its role between exercise and AD, which is likely to be an ideal candidate target.

Dimensionality of the Superconductivity in the Transition Metal Pnictide WP.

We report theoretical and experimental results on the transition metal pnictide WP. The theoretical outcomes based on tight-binding calculations and density functional theory indicate that WP is a three-dimensional superconductor with an anisotropic electronic structure and nonsymmorphic symmetries. On the other hand, magnetoresistance experimental data and the analysis of superconducting fluctuations of the conductivity in external magnetic field indicate a weakly anisotropic three-dimensional superconducting phase.

Discovery of Dome-Shaped Superconducting Phase and Anisotropic Transport in a van der Waals Layered Candidate NbIrTe4 under Pressure.

The unique electronic structure and crystal structure driven by external pressure in transition metal tellurides (TMTs) can host unconventional quantum states. Here, the discovery of pressure-induced phase transition at ≈2 GPa, and dome-shaped superconducting phase emerged in van der Waals layered NbIrTe4 is reported. The highest critical temperature (Tc ) is ≈5.8 K at pressure of ≈16 GPa, where the interlayered Te-Te covalent bonds form simultaneously derived from the synchrotron diffraction data, indicating the hosting structure of superconducting evolved from low-pressure two-dimensional (2D) phase to three-dimensional (3D) structure with pressure higher than 30 GPa. Strikingly, the authors have found an anisotropic transport in the vicinity of the superconducting state, suggesting the emergence of a "stripe"-like phase. The dome-shaped superconducting phase and anisotropic transport are possibly due to the spatial modulation of interlayer Josephson coupling .

MoTe2: Semiconductor or Semimetal?

Transition metal tellurides (TMTs) have attracted intense interest due to their intriguing physical properties arising from their diverse phase topologies. To date, a wide range of physical properties have been discovered for TMTs, including that they can act as topological insulators, semiconductors, Weyl semimetals, and superconductors. Among the TMT families, MoTe2 is a representative material because of its Janus nature and rich phases. In this Perspective, we first introduce phase structures in monolayer and bulk MoTe2 and then summarize MoTe2 synthesis strategies. We highlight recent advances of Janus MoTe2 in terms of material structures and emerging quantum states. We also provide insight into the opportunities and challenges faced by MoTe2-associated device design and applications.

Controlled Synthesis of MoxW1-xTe2 Atomic Layers with Emergent Quantum States.

Recently, new states of matter like superconducting or topological quantum states were found in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and manifested themselves in a series of exotic physical behaviors. Such phenomena have been demonstrated to exist in a series of transition metal tellurides including MoTe2, WTe2, and alloyed MoxW1-xTe2. However, the behaviors in the alloy system have been rarely addressed due to their difficulty in obtaining atomic layers with controlled composition, albeit the alloy offers a great platform to tune the quantum states. Here, we report a facile CVD method to synthesize the MoxW1-xTe2 with controllable thickness and chemical composition ratios. The atomic structure of a monolayer MoxW1-xTe2 alloy was experimentally confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy. Importantly, two different transport behaviors including superconducting and Weyl semimetal states were observed in Mo-rich Mo0.8W0.2Te2 and W-rich Mo0.2W0.8Te2 samples, respectively. Our results show that the electrical properties of MoxW1-xTe2 can be tuned by controlling the chemical composition, demonstrating our controllable CVD growth method is an efficient strategy to manipulate the physical properties of TMDCs. Meanwhile, it provides a perspective on further comprehension and sheds light on the design of devices with topological multicomponent TMDC materials.

Magnitude and Spatial Distribution Control of the Supercurrent in Bi2O2Se-Based Josephson Junction.

Many proposals for exploring topological quantum computation are based on superconducting quantum devices constructed on materials with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). For these devices, full control of both the magnitude and the spatial distribution of the supercurrent is highly demanded, but has been elusive up to now. We constructed a proximity-type Josephson junction on nanoplates of Bi2O2Se, a new emerging semiconductor with strong SOC. Through electrical gating, we show that the supercurrent can be fully turned ON and OFF, and its real-space pathways can be configured either through the bulk or along the edges. Our work demonstrates Bi2O2Se as a promising platform for constructing multifunctional hybrid superconducting devices as well as for searching for topological superconductivity.

Phase Transition and Superconductivity Enhancement in Se-Substituted MoTe2 Thin Films.

Consecutively tailoring few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides MX2 from 2H to Td phase may realize the long-sought topological superconductivity in a single material system by incorporating superconductivity and the quantum spin Hall effect together. Here, this study demonstrates that a consecutive structural phase transition from Td to 1T' to 2H polytype can be realized by increasing the Se concentration in Se-substituted MoTe2 thin films. More importantly, the Se-substitution is found to dramatically enhance the superconductivity of the MoTe2 thin film, which is interpreted as the introduction of two-band superconductivity. The chemical-constituent-induced phase transition offers a new strategy to study the s+- superconductivity and the possible topological superconductivity, as well as to develop phase-sensitive devices based on MX2 materials.

Transport evidence of asymmetric spin-orbit coupling in few-layer superconducting 1Td-MoTe2.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides MX2 (M = W, Mo, Nb, and X = Te, Se, S) with strong spin-orbit coupling possess plenty of novel physics including superconductivity. Due to the Ising spin-orbit coupling, monolayer NbSe2 and gated MoS2 of 2H structure can realize the Ising superconductivity, which manifests itself with in-plane upper critical field far exceeding Pauli paramagnetic limit. Surprisingly, we find that a few-layer 1Td structure MoTe2 also exhibits an in-plane upper critical field which goes beyond the Pauli paramagnetic limit. Importantly, the in-plane upper critical field shows an emergent two-fold symmetry which is different from the isotropic in-plane upper critical field in 2H transition metal dichalcogenides. We show that this is a result of an asymmetric spin-orbit coupling in 1Td transition metal dichalcogenides. Our work provides transport evidence of a new type of asymmetric spin-orbit coupling in transition metal dichalcogenides which may give rise to novel superconducting and spin transport properties.

A library of atomically thin metal chalcogenides.

Investigations of two-dimensional transition-metal chalcogenides (TMCs) have recently revealed interesting physical phenomena, including the quantum spin Hall effect1,2, valley polarization3,4 and two-dimensional superconductivity 5 , suggesting potential applications for functional devices6-10. However, of the numerous compounds available, only a handful, such as Mo- and W-based TMCs, have been synthesized, typically via sulfurization11-15, selenization16,17 and tellurization 18 of metals and metal compounds. Many TMCs are difficult to produce because of the high melting points of their metal and metal oxide precursors. Molten-salt-assisted methods have been used to produce ceramic powders at relatively low temperature 19 and this approach 20 was recently employed to facilitate the growth of monolayer WS2 and WSe2. Here we demonstrate that molten-salt-assisted chemical vapour deposition can be broadly applied for the synthesis of a wide variety of two-dimensional (atomically thin) TMCs. We synthesized 47 compounds, including 32 binary compounds (based on the transition metals Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Re, Pt, Pd and Fe), 13 alloys (including 11 ternary, one quaternary and one quinary), and two heterostructured compounds. We elaborate how the salt decreases the melting point of the reactants and facilitates the formation of intermediate products, increasing the overall reaction rate. Most of the synthesized materials in our library are useful, as supported by evidence of superconductivity in our monolayer NbSe2 and MoTe2 samples21,22 and of high mobilities in MoS2 and ReS2. Although the quality of some of the materials still requires development, our work opens up opportunities for studying the properties and potential application of a wide variety of two-dimensional TMCs.

High-quality monolayer superconductor NbSe2 grown by chemical vapour deposition.

The discovery of monolayer superconductors bears consequences for both fundamental physics and device applications. Currently, the growth of superconducting monolayers can only occur under ultrahigh vacuum and on specific lattice-matched or dangling bond-free substrates, to minimize environment- and substrate-induced disorders/defects. Such severe growth requirements limit the exploration of novel two-dimensional superconductivity and related nanodevices. Here we demonstrate the experimental realization of superconductivity in a chemical vapour deposition grown monolayer material-NbSe2. Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscope imaging reveals the atomic structure of the intrinsic point defects and grain boundaries in monolayer NbSe2, and confirms the low defect concentration in our high-quality film, which is the key to two-dimensional superconductivity. By using monolayer chemical vapour deposited graphene as a protective capping layer, thickness-dependent superconducting properties are observed in as-grown NbSe2 with a transition temperature increasing from 1.0 K in monolayer to 4.56 K in 10-layer.Two-dimensional superconductors will likely have applications not only in devices, but also in the study of fundamental physics. Here, Wang et al. demonstrate the CVD growth of superconducting NbSe2 on a variety of substrates, making these novel materials increasingly accessible.

Large-Area and High-Quality 2D Transition Metal Telluride.

Large-area and high-quality 2D transition metal tellurides are synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition method. The as-grown WTe2 maintains two different stacking sequences in the bilayer, where the atomic structure of the stacking boundary is revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy. The low-temperature transport measurements reveal a novel semimetal-to-insulator transition in WTe2 layers and an enhanced superconductivity in few-layer MoTe2 .

Enhancement of the ν = 5/2 fractional quantum Hall state in a small in-plane magnetic field.

Using a 50-nm-width ultraclean GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well, we have studied the Landau level filling factor ν=5/2 fractional quantum Hall effect in a perpendicular magnetic field B∼1.7 T and determined its dependence on tilted magnetic fields. Contrary to all previous results, the 5/2 resistance minimum and the Hall plateau are found to strengthen continuously under an increasing tilt angle 0<θ<25° (corresponding to an in-plane magnetic field 060°, and the composite fermion series [2+p/(2p±1), p=1,2] can be identified. Based on our results, we discuss the relevance of a Skyrmion spin texture at ν=5/2 associated with small Zeeman energy in wide quantum wells, as proposed by Wójs et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 086801 (2010)].

Strong superconducting proximity effect in pb-bi(2)te(3) hybrid structures.

To study the interface between a conventional superconductor and a topological insulator, we fabricated Pb-Bi(2)Te(3)-Pb lateral and sandwiched junctions, and performed electron transport measurements down to low temperatures. The results show that there is a strong superconducting proximity effect between Bi(2)Te(3) and Pb, as that a supercurrent can be established along the thickness direction of the Bi(2)Te(3) flakes (100~300 nm thick) at a temperature very close to the superconducting T(c) of Pb. Moreover, a Josephson current can be established over several microns in the lateral direction between two Pb electrodes on the Bi(2)Te(3 )surface. We have further demonstrated that superconducting quantum interference devices can be constructed based on the proximity-effect-induced superconductivity. The critical current of the devices exhibits s-wave-like interference and Fraunhofer diffraction patterns. With improved designs, Josephson devices of this type would provide a test-bed for exploring novel phenomena such as Majorana fermions in the future.

Aharonov-casher effect in Bi2Se3 square-ring interferometers.

Electrical control of spin dynamics in Bi(2)Se(3) was investigated in ring-type interferometers. Aharonov-Bohm and Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak resistance oscillations against a magnetic field, and Aharonov-Casher resistance oscillations against the gate voltage were observed in the presence of a Berry phase of π. A very large tunability of spin precession angle by the gate voltage has been obtained, indicating that Bi(2)Se(3)-related materials with strong spin-orbit coupling are promising candidates for constructing novel spintronic devices.

Surface-enhanced/normal Raman scattering studies on an isolated and individual single-walled carbon nanotube.

In this paper, we report the surface-enhanced Raman scattering and normal Raman scattering from different parts of one individual single-walled carbon nanotube. We found that the intensity of radial breathing mode can be remarkably enhanced for surface-enhanced Raman scattering. And no frequency shift of the radial breathing mode has been observed. For the tangential mode at approximately 1590 cm(-1), the peak becomes slightly narrower for surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Both semiconducting and metallic nanotubes can be identified based on the line shape of tangential mode. Meanwhile, the intensities of tangential mode depend on laser excitation energies sensitively, which can be explained by different resonant transitional conditions.

Oxygen desorption from single-walled carbon nanotubes by camera flash.

In this paper, we report that the electrical conductance of single-walled carbon nanotubes networks decreases when the nanotubes are illuminated by camera flash in high vacuum up to 10(-6) Torr. The decreasing conductance shows step-like characteristics at each illumination. The magnitude of conductance change step reduces gradually after each illumination; finally, the conductance reaches saturation. Controlled experiments in air, oxygen and nitrogen gas indicate that mechanism for these observations is photodesorption of molecular oxygen from singled-walled carbon nanotubes.