Superconducting Dome and Crossover to an Insulating State in [Tl4]Tl1-xSnxTe3

Abstract

The structural, superconducting, and electronic phase diagram of [Tl4]Tl1-xSnxTe3 is reported. Magnetization and specific heat measurements show bulk superconductivity exists for 0 < x < 0.4. Resistivity measurements indicate a crossover from a metallic state for low dopings to a doped insulator at x = 1. Universally, there is a large non-Debye specific heat contribution, characterized by an Einstein temperature of θE ~ 35 K. Density functional theory calculations predict x = 0 to be a topological metal, while x = 1 is a topological crystalline insulator. The disappearance of superconductivity correlates with the transition between these distinct topological states.

Published in a special issue of APL Materials; version 2 is updated with post-publication copyright notice

References in corpus (5)

• Discovery (theoretical prediction and experimental observation) of a large-gap topological-insulator class with spin-polarized single-Dirac-cone on the surface
• A topological Dirac insulator in a quantum spin Hall phase : Experimental observation of first strong topological insulator
• Topological Crystalline Insulators
• Unexpected mass acquisition of Dirac fermions at the quantum phase transition of a topological insulator
• Topological-Metal to Band-Insulator Transition in (Bi1-xInx)2Se3 Thin Films

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Indium substitution effect on the topological crystalline insulator family (Pb${}_{1-x}$Sn${}_x$)${}_{1-y}$In${}_y$Te: Topological and superconducting properties