Issue 19, 2013

Crystal structure and chemistry of topological insulators

Abstract

Topological surface states, a new kind of electronic state of matter, have recently been observed on the cleaved surfaces of crystals of a handful of small band gap semiconductors. The underlying chemical factors that enable these states are crystal symmetry, the presence of strong spin–orbit coupling, and an inversion of the energies of the bulk electronic states that normally contribute to the valence and conduction bands. The goals of this review are to briefly introduce the physics of topological insulators to a chemical audience and to describe the chemistry, defect chemistry, and crystal structures of the compounds in this emergent field.

Graphical abstract: Crystal structure and chemistry of topological insulators

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
30 jan 2013
Accepted
13 mar 2013
First published
13 mar 2013

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 3176-3189

Crystal structure and chemistry of topological insulators

R. J. Cava, H. Ji, M. K. Fuccillo, Q. D. Gibson and Y. S. Hor, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013, 1, 3176 DOI: 10.1039/C3TC30186A

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