Possible Topological Phase Transition in Fe-Vacancy-Ordered $\beta$-Fe${}_{4+\delta }$Se${}_5$ Nanowires

Abstract

We studied the electrical transport on $\beta$-Fe${}_{4+\delta }$Se${}_5$ single-crystal nanowires, exhibiting $\sqrt{5}\times \sqrt{5}$ Fe-vacancy order and mixed valence of Fe. We observed a first-order metal-insulator transition of the transition temperature at $\sim$28~K at zero magnetic field. The dielectric relaxation reveals that the transition is related to an energy gap expansion of $\sim$12~meV, involving the charge-orbital ordering. At nearly 28~K, colossal positive magnetoresistance emerges, resulting from the magnetic-field dependent shift of the transition temperature. Through the transition, the magnetotransport behavior transits from two-dimension-like to one-dimension-like conduction. The transition temperature demonstrates anisotropy with the $c$-axis as the preferred orientation in magnetic fields, suggesting the spin-orbital coupling. Our findings demonstrate the novel magnetoresistive transition intimating a topological transition in the Fe-vacancy-ordered $\beta$-Fe${}_{4+\delta }$Se${}_5$ nanowires. The results provide valuable information to better understand the orbital nature and the emergence of superconductivity in FeSe-based materials.