Synthesis and characterization of few-layer Sb2Te3 nanoplates with electrostatic properties

Abstract

Sb₂Te₃-based nanomaterials are predicted to be one of the topological insulators promising in future spintronics and topological quantum computation. Few-layer Sb₂Te₃ nanoplates on different substrates forming heterostructures were fabricated via the vapor phase deposition method. The electrostatic properties of Sb₂Te₃ nanoplates were characterized by Kelvin probe force microscopy. It was found that Sb₂Te₃ nanoplates exhibit uniform surface potential and charge distribution. The work function was determined to be ∼5.016 eV for Sb₂Te₃ nanoplates grown on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. These results pave a route to explore the exotic topological properties of Sb₂Te₃-based nanoelectronic devices.