arXiv subjects

N. Z. Wang

Publications and source records attributed to N. Z. Wang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Emergent spin-glass state in the doped Hund's metal CsFe2As2

Hund's metal is one kind of correlated metal, in which the electronic correlation is strongly influenced by the Hund's interaction. At high temperatures, while the charge and orbital degrees of freedom are quenched, the spin degrees of freedom can persist in terms of frozen moments. As temperature decreases, a coherent electronic state with characteristic orbital differentiation always emerges at low temperatures through an incoherent-to-coherent crossover, which has been widely observed in iron-based superconductors (e.g., iron selenides and AFe2As2 (A = K, Rb, Cs)). Consequently, the above frozen moments are "screened" by coupling to orbital degrees of freedom, leading to an emergent Fermi-liquid state. In contrast, the coupling among frozen moments should impede the formation of the Fermi-liquid state by competitive magnetic ordering, which is still unexplored in Hund's metal. Here, in the iron-based Hund's metal CsFe2As2, we adopt a chemical substitution at iron sites by Cr/Co atoms to explore the competitive magnetic ordering. By a comprehensive study of resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and nuclear magnetic resonance, we demonstrate that the Fermi-liquid state is destroyed in Cr-doped CsFe2As2 by a spinfreezing transition below T_g ~ 22 K. Meanwhile, the evolution of charge degrees of freedom measured by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy also supports the competition between the Fermi-liquid state and spin-glass state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Structural and electronic phase transitions driven by electric field in metastable MoS$_2$ thin flake

Transition-metal-dichalcogenides own a variety of structures as well as electronic properties which can be modulated by structural variations, element substitutions, ion or molecule intercalations, etc. However, there is very limited knowledge on metastable phases of this family, especially the precise regulation of structural changes and accompanied evolution of electronic properties. Here, based on a new developed field-effect transistor with solid ion conductor as the gate dielectric, we report a controllable structural and electronic phase transitions in metastable MoS$_2$ thin flakes driven by electric field. We found that the metastable structure of 1T$^{'''}$-MoS$_2$ thin flake can be transformed into another metastable structure of 1T$^{'}$ -type upon intercalation of lithium regulated by electric field. Moreover, the metastable 1T$^{'}$ phase persists during the cycle of intercalation and de-intercalation of lithium controlled by electric field, and the electronic properties can be reversibly manipulated with a remarkable change of resistance by four orders of magnitude from the insulating 1T$^{'}$-LiMoS$_2$ to superconducting 1T$^{'}$-MoS$_2$. Such reversible and dramatic changes in electronic properties provide intriguing opportunities for development of novel nano-devices with highly tunable characteristics under electric field.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Superconductivity in the metastable 1T' and 1T''' phases of MoS$_2$ crystals

Transition-metal dichalcogenides open novel opportunities for the exploration of exciting new physics and devices. As a representative system, 2H-MoS$_2$ has been extensively investigated owing to its unique band structure with a large band gap, degenerate valleys and non-zero Berry curvature. However, experimental studies of metastable 1T polytypes have been a challenge for a long time, and electronic properties are obscure due to the inaccessibility of single phase without the coexistence of 1T', 1T'' and 1T''' lattice structures, which hinder the broad applications of MoS$_2$ in future nanodevices and optoelectronic devices. Using ${K_x(H_2O)_yMoS_2}$ as the precursor, we have successfully obtained high-quality layered crystals of the metastable 1T'''-MoS$_2$ with $\sqrt{3}a\times\sqrt{3}a$ superstructure and metastable 1T'-MoS$_2$ with a$\times$2a superstructure, as evidenced by structural characterizations through scanning tunneling microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. It is found that the metastable 1T'-MoS$_2$ is a superconductor with onset transition temperature (${T_c}$) of 4.2 K, while the metastable 1 T'''-MoS$_2$ shows either superconductivity with Tc of 5.3 K or insulating behavior, which strongly depends on the synthesis procedure. Both of the metastable polytypes of MoS$_2$ crystals can be transformed to the stable 2H phase with mild annealing at about 70 $^{\circ}$C in He atmosphere. These findings provide pivotal information on the atomic configurations and physical properties of 1T polytypes of MoS$_2$.

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arXiv2018

Electric-field controlled superconductor-ferromagnetic insulator transition

How to control collectively ordered electronic states is a core interest of condensed matter physics. We report an electric field controlled reversible transition from superconductor to ferromagnetic insulator in (Li,Fe)OHFeSe thin flake using solid ion conductor as the gate dielectric. By driving Li ions into and out of the (Li,Fe)OHFeSe thin flake with electric field, we obtained a dome-shaped superconducting region with optimal Tc ~ 43 K, which is separated by a quantum critical point from ferromagnetically insulating phase. The ferromagnetism arises from the long range order of the interstitial Fe ions expelled from the (Li,Fe)OH layers by Li injection. The device can reversibly manipulate collectively ordered electronic states and stabilize new metastable structures by electric field.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Charge Transfer Effects in Naturally Occurring van der Waals Heterostructures (PbSe)1.16(TiSe2)m (m=1, 2)

Van der Waals heterostructures (VDWHs) exhibit rich properties and thus has potential for applications, and charge transfer between different layers in a heterostructure often dominates its properties and device performance. It is thus critical to reveal and understand the charge transfer effects in VDWHs, for which electronic structure measurements have proven to be effective. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we studied the electronic structures of (PbSe)1.16(TiSe2)m(m=1, 2), which are naturally occurring VDWHs, and discovered several striking charge transfer effects. When the thickness of the TiSe2 layers is halved from m=2 to m=1, the amount of charge transferred increases unexpectedly by more than 250%. This is accompanied by a dramatic drop in the electron-phonon interaction strength far beyond the prediction by first-principles calculations and, consequently, superconductivity only exists in the m=2 compound with strong electron-phonon interaction, albeit with lower carrier density. Furthermore, we found that the amount of charge transferred in both compounds is nearly halved when warmed from below 10 K to room temperature, due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the constituent layers of these misfit compounds. These unprecedentedly large charge transfer effects might widely exist in VDWHs composed of metal-semiconductor contacts; thus, our results provide important insights for further understanding and applications of VDWHs.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Magnetic-field enhanced high-thermoelectric performance in topological Dirac semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$ crystal

Thermoelectric materials can be used to convert heat to electric power through the Seebeck effect. We study magneto-thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) in three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$ crystal. It is found that enhancement of power factor and reduction of thermal conductivity can be realized at the same time through magnetic field although magnetoresistivity is greatly increased. ZT can be highly enhanced from 0.17 to 1.1 by more than six times around 350 K under a perpendicular magnetic field of 7 Tesla. The huge enhancement of ZT by magnetic field arises from the linear Dirac band with large Fermi velocity and the large electric thermal conductivity in Cd$_3$As$_2$. Our work paves a new way to greatly enhance the thermoelectric performance in the quantum topological materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Probing the superconducting gap structure of (Li$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$)OHFeSe

We report measurements of the London penetration depth [$Δλ(T)$] of the recently discovered iron-based superconductor (Li$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$)OHFeSe, in order to characterize the nature of the superconducting gap structure. At low temperatures, $Δλ(T)$ displays nearly temperature independent behavior, indicating a fully open superconducting gap. We also analyze the superfluid density $ρ_s(T)$ which cannot be well accounted for by a single-gap isotropic $s$-wave model but are consistent with either two-gaps, a model for the orbital selective $s\timesτ_3$ state or anisotropic $s$-wave superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Breakdown of single spin-fluid model in heavily hole-doped superconductor CsFe2As2

Although Fe-based superconductors are multiorbital correlated electronic systems, previous nuclei magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement suggests that a single spin-fluid model is sufficient to describe its spin behavior. Here, we firstly observed the breakdown of single spin-fluid model in a heavily hole-doped Fe-based superconductor CsFe2As2 by site-selective NMR measurement. At high temperature regime, both of Knight shift and nuclei spin-lattice relaxation at 133Cs and 75As nuclei exhibit distinct temperature-dependent behavior, suggesting the breakdown of single spin-fluid model in CsFe2As2. This is ascribed to the coexistence of both localized and itinerant spin degree of freedom at 3d orbits, which is consistent with orbital-selective Mott phase. However, single spin-fluid behavior is gradually recovered by developing a coherent state among 3d orbits with decreasing temperature. A Kondo liquid scenario is proposed for the low-temperature coherent state. The present work sets strong constraint on the theoretical model for Fe-based superconductors.

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arXiv2017

Large magnetic anisotropy in $Fe_xTaS_2$ single crystals

In intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide $Fe_xTaS_2$ (0.2 $\leq$ x $\leq$ 0.4) single crystals, large magnetic anisotropy is observed. Transport property measurements indicate that heavy Fe-doping leads to a large anisotropy of resistivity ($ρ$$_{c}$/$ρ$$_{ab}$). A sharp M-H hysteresis curve is observed with magnetic field along c-axis, while a linear magnetization appears with magnetic field applied in the ab-plane. The angular dependent magnetic susceptibility from in-plane to out-of-plane indicates that magnetic moments are strongly pinned along the c-axis in an unconventional manner and the coercive field reaches as large as 6 T at T = 5 K. First-principles calculation clearly suggests that the strong spin-orbital coupling give rise to such a large anisotropy of magnetism. The strong pinning effect of magnetic moments along c-axis makes this material a very promising candidate for the development of spin-aligner in spintronics devices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Tuning electronic properties of FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ thin flakes by a novel field effect transistor

Using a field-effect transistor (FET) configuration with solid Li-ion conductor (SIC) as gate dielectric, we have successfully tuned carrier density in FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ thin flakes, and the electronic phase diagram has been mapped out. It is found that electron doping controlled by SIC-FET leads to a suppression of the superconducting phase, and eventually gives rise to an insulating state in FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$. During the gating process, the (001) peak in XRD patterns stays at the same position and no new diffraction peak emerges, indicating no evident Li$^+$ ions intercalation into the FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$. It indicates that a systematic change of electronic properties in FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ arises from the electrostatic doping induced by the accumulation of Li$^+$ ions at the interface between FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ and solid ion conductor in the devices. It is striking that these findings are drastically different from the observation in FeSe thin flakes using the same SIC-FET, in which $T_c$ is enhanced from 8 K to larger than 40 K, then the system goes into an insulating phase accompanied by structural transitions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Reemergeing electronic nematicity in heavily hole-doped Fe-based superconductors

In correlated electrons system, quantum melting of electronic crystalline phase often gives rise to many novel electronic phases. In cuprates superconductors, melting the Mott insulating phase with carrier doping leads to a quantum version of liquid crystal phase, the electronic nematicity, which breaks the rotational symmetry and exhibits a tight twist with high-temperature superconductivity. Recently, the electronic nematicity has also been observed in Fe-based superconductors. However, whether it shares a similar scenario with its cuprates counterpart is still elusive. Here, by measuring nuclear magnetic resonance in CsFe2As2, a prototypical Fe-based superconductor perceived to have evolved from a Mott insulating phase at 3d5 configuration, we report anisotropic quadruple broadening effect as a direct result of local rotational symmetry breaking. For the first time, clear connection between the Mott insulating phase and the electronic nematicity can be established and generalized to the Fe-based superconductors. This finding would promote a universal understanding on electronic nematicity and its relation with high-temperature superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Surface electronic structure and evidence of plain s-wave superconductivity in (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe

(Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe is a newly-discovered intercalated iron-selenide superconductor with a Tc above 40 K, which is much higher than the Tc of bulk FeSe (8 K). Here we report a systematic study of (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe by low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We observed two kinds of surface terminations, namely FeSe and (Li0.8Fe0.2)OH surfaces. On the FeSe surface, the superconducting state is fully gapped with double coherence peaks, and a vortex core state with split peaks near EF is observed. Through quasi-particle interference (QPI) measurements, we clearly observed intra- and inter-pocket scatterings in between the electron pockets at the M point, as well as some evidence of scattering that connects gamma and M points. Upon applying magnetic field, the QPI intensity of all the scattering channels are found to behave similarly. Furthermore, we studied impurity effects on the superconductivity by investigating intentionally introduced impurities and intrinsic defects. We observed that magnetic impurities such as Cr adatoms can induce in-gap states and suppress superconductivity. However, nonmagnetic impurities such as Zn adatoms do not induce visible in-gap states. Meanwhile, we show that Zn adatoms can induce in-gap states in thick FeSe films, which is believed to have an (s+-)wave pairing symmetry. Our experimental results suggest it is likely that (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe is a plain s-wave superconductor, whose order parameter has the same sign on all Fermi surface sections.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Tuning phase transitions of FeSe thin flakes by field effect transistor with solid ion conductor as gate dielectric

We develop a novel field effect transistor (FET) device using solid ion conductor (SIC) as a gate dielectric, and we can tune the carrier density of FeSe by driving lithium ions in and out of the FeSe thin flakes, and consequently control the material properties and its phase transitions. A dome-shaped superconducting phase diagram was mapped out with increasing Li content, with $T_c$ $\sim$ 46.6 K for the optimal doping, and an insulating phase was reached at the extremely overdoped regime. Our study suggests that, using solid ion conductor as a gate dielectric, the SIC-FET device can achieve much higher carrier doping in the bulk, and suit many surface sensitive experimental probes, and can stabilize novel structural phases that are inaccessible in ordinary conditions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Pressure-induced Lifshitz transition in black phosphorus

In a semimetal, both electron and hole carriers contribute to the density of states at the Fermi level. The small band overlaps and multi-band effects give rise to many novel electronic properties, such as relativistic Dirac fermions with linear dispersion, titanic magnetoresistance and unconventional superconductivity. Black phosphorus has recently emerged as an exceptional semiconductor with high carrier mobility and a direct, tunable bandgap. Of particular importance is the search for exotic electronic states in black phosphorus, which may amplify the material's potential beyond semiconductor devices. Here we show that a moderate hydrostatic pressure effectively suppresses the band gap and induces a Lifshitz transition from semiconductor to semimetal in black phosphorus; a colossal magnetoresistance is observed in the semimetallic phase. Quantum oscillations in high magnetic field reveal the complex Fermi surface topology of the semimetallic black phosphorus. In particular, a Dirac-like fermion emerges at around 1.2 GPa, which is continuously tuned by external pressure. The observed semi-metallic behavior greatly enriches black phosphorus's material property, and sets the stage for the exploration of novel electronic states in this material. Moreover, these interesting behaviors make phosphorene a good candidate for the realization of a new two-dimensional relativistic electron system, other than graphene.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Emergent Kondo scaling in iron-based superconductors AFe2As2 (A = K, Rb, Cs)

Unconventional superconductivity from heavy fermion (HF) is always observed in f-electron systems, in which Kondo physics between localized f-electrons and itinerant electrons plays an essential role. Whether HF superconductivity could be achieved in other systems without f electrons, especially for d-electron systems, is still elusive. Here, we experimentally study the origin of d-electron HF behavior in iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) AFe2As2 (A = K, Rb, Cs). Nuclear magnetic resonance on 75As reveals a universal coherent-incoherent crossover with a characteristic temperature T*. Below T*, a so-called 'Knight shift anomaly' is first observed in FeSCs, which exhibits a scaling behavior similar to f-electron HF materials. Furthermore, the scaling rule also regulates the manifestation of magnetic fluctuation. These results undoubtedly support an emergent Kondo scenario for the d-electron HF behavior, which suggests the AFe2As2 (A = K, Rb, Cs) as the first material realization of d-electron HF superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Evolution of high-temperature superconductivity from low-Tc phase tuned by carrier concentration in FeSe thin flakes

In contrast to bulk FeSe superconductor, heavily electron-doped FeSe-derived superconductors show relatively high Tc without hole Fermi surfaces and nodal superconducting gap structure, which pose great challenges on pairing theories in the iron-based superconductors. In the heavily electron-doped FeSe-based superconductors, the dominant factors and the exact working mechanism that is responsible for the high Tc need to be clarified. In particular, a clean control of carrier concentration remains to be a challenge for revealing how superconductivity and Fermi surface topology evolves with carrier concentration in bulk FeSe. Here, we report the evolution of superconductivity in the FeSe thin flake with systematically regulated carrier concentrations by liquid-gating technique. High-temperature superconductivity at 48 K can be achieved only with electron doping tuned by gate voltage in FeSe thin flake with Tc less than 10 K. This is the first time to achieve such a high temperature superconductivity in FeSe without either epitaxial interface or external pressure. It definitely proves that the simple electron-doping process is able to induce high-temperature superconductivity with Tc as high as 48 K in bulk FeSe. Intriguingly, our data also indicates that the superconductivity is suddenly changed from low-Tc phase to high-Tc phase with a Lifshitz transition at certain carrier concentration. These results help us to build a unified picture to understand the high-temperature superconductivity among all FeSe-derived superconductors and shed light on further pursuit of higher Tc in these materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Surface electronic structure and isotropic superconducting gap in (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OHFeSe

Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we revealed the surface electronic structure and superconducting gap of (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OHFeSe, an intercalated FeSe-derived superconductor without antiferromagnetic phase or Fe-vacancy order in the FeSe layers, and with a superconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) $\sim$ 40 K. We found that (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OH layers dope electrons into FeSe layers. The electronic structure of surface FeSe layers in (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OHFeSe resembles that of Rb$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$ except that it only contains half of the carriers due to the polar surface, suggesting similar quasiparticle dynamics between bulk (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OHFeSe and Rb$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$. Superconducting gap is clearly observed below $T_c$, with an isotropic distribution around the electron Fermi surface. Compared with $A_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$ (\textit{A}=K, Rb, Cs, Tl/K), the higher $T_c$ in (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OHFeSe might be attributed to higher homogeneity of FeSe layers or to some unknown roles played by the (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OH layers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Gate-tuned Superconductor-Insulator transition in (Li,Fe)OHFeSe

The antiferromagnetic(AFM) insulator-superconductor transition has been always a center of interest in the underlying physics of unconventional superconductors. The quantum phase transition between Mott insulator with AFM and superconductor can be induced by doping charge carriers in high-Tc cuprate superconductors. For the best characterized organic superconductors of k-(BEDT-TTF)2X (X=anion), a first order transition between AFM insulator and superconductor can be tuned by applied external pressure or chemical pressure. Also, the superconducting state can be directly developed from AFM insulator by application of pressure in Cs3C60. The resemblance of these phase diagrams hints a universal mechanism governing the unconventional superconductivity in close proximity to AFM insulators. However, the superconductivity in iron-based high-Tc superconductors evolves from an AFM bad metal by doping charge carriers, and no superconductor-insulator transition has been observed so far. Here, we report a first-order transition from superconductor to insulator with a strong charge doping induced by ionic gating in the thin flakes of single crystal (Li,Fe)OHFeSe. The Tc is continuously enhanced with electron doping by ionic gating up to a maximum Tc of 43 K, and a striking superconductor-insulator transition occurs just at the verge of optimal doping with highest Tc. A novel phase diagram of temperature-gating voltage with the superconductor-insulator transition is mapped out, indicating that the superconductor -insulator transition is a common feature for unconventional superconductivity. These results help to uncover the underlying physics of iron-based superconductivity as well as the universal mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity. Our finding also suggests that the gate-controlled strong charge doping makes it possible to explore novel states of matter in a way beyond traditional methods.

cond-mat.supr-con↗