arXiv subjects

Guangsai Yang

Publications and source records attributed to Guangsai Yang.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Topological Insulator VxBi1.08-xSn0.02Sb0.9Te2S as a Promising n-type Thermoelectric Material

As one of the most important n-type thermoelectric (TE) materials, Bi2Te3 has been studied for decades, with efforts to enhance the thermoelectric performance based on element doping, band engineering, etc. In this study, we report a novel bulk-insulating topological material system as a replacement for n-type Bi2Te3 materials: V doped Bi1.08Sn0.02Sb0.9Te2S (V:BSSTS) . The V:BSSTS is a bulk insulator with robust metallic topological surface states. Furthermore, the bulk band gap can be tuned by the doping level of V, which is verified by magnetotransport measurements. Large linear magnetoresistance is observed in all samples. Excellent thermoelectric performance is obtained in the V:BSSTS samples, e.g., the highest figure of merit ZT of ~ 0.8 is achieved in the 2% V doped sample (denoted as V0.02) at 550 K. The high thermoelectric performance of V:BSSTS can be attributed to two synergistic effects: (1) the low conductive secondary phases Sb2S3, and V2S3 are believed to be important scattering centers for phonons, leading to lower lattice thermal conductivity; and (2) the electrical conductivity is increased due to the high-mobility topological surface states at the boundaries. In addition, by replacing one third of costly tellurium with abundant, low-cost, and less-toxic sulfur element, the newly produced BSSTS material is inexpensive but still has comparable TE performance to the traditional Bi2Te3-based materials, which offers a cheaper plan for the electronics and thermoelectric industries. Our results demonstrate that topological materials with unique band structures can provide a new platform in the search for new high performance TE materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Weak localization and anti-localization in rare earth doped topological insulators

We study magneto-transport phenomena in two rare-earth doped topological insulators, SmxFexSb2-2xTe3 and SmxBi2-xTe2Se single crystals. The magneto-transport behaviours in both compounds exhibit a systematic crossover between weak anti-localization (positive magnetoresistance) and weak localization (negative magnetoresistance) with changes in temperatures and magnetic fields. The weak localization is caused by rare-earth-doping induced magnetization, and the weak anti-localization originates from topologically protected surface states. The transition between weak localization and weak anti-localization demonstrates a gap opening at the Dirac point of surface states in the quantum diffusive regime. This work demonstrates an effective way to manipulate the magneto-transport properties of the topological insulators by rare-earth element doping. Magnetometry measurements indicate that the Sm-dopant alone is paramagnetic, whereas the co-doped Fe-Sm state has short-range antiferromagnetic order. Our results hold potential for the realization of exotic topological effects in gapped topological insulator surface states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Modulation of crystal and electronic structures in topological insulators by rare-earth doping

We study magnetotransport in a rare earth doped topological insulator, Sm0.1Sb1.9Te3 single crystals, under magnetic fields up to 14 T. It is found that that the crystals exhibit Shubnikov de Haas oscillations in their magneto-transport behaviour at low temperatures and high magnetic fields. The SdH oscillations result from the mixed contributions of bulk and surface states. We also investigate the SdH oscillations in different orientations of the magnetic field, which reveals a three dimensional Fermi surface topology. By fitting the oscillatory resistance with the Lifshitz Kosevich theory, we draw a Landau-level fan diagram that displays the expected nontrivial phase. In addition, the density functional theory calculations shows that Sm doping changes the crystal structure and electronic structure compared with pure Sb2Te3. This work demonstrates that rare earth doping is an effective way to manipulate the Fermi surface of topological insulators. Our results hold potential for the realization of exotic topological effects in magnetic topological insulators.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗