Direct evidence of intercalation in a topological insulator turned superconductor

TL;DR

This study provides direct microscopic evidence of intercalation sites in Cu-doped Bi2Se3, a topological insulator that exhibits superconductivity, revealing structural details crucial for understanding its properties.

Contribution

First direct visualization of intercalation sites in Cu-doped Bi2Se3 using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

Findings

Identification of two intercalation sites in the material.

Calculation of intercalated unit cell stoichiometry.

Structural insights into the superconducting topological insulator.

Abstract

A topological insulator Bi2Se3 which shows superconducting property due to Cu doping has been studied using high resolution transmission electron microscopy which provides for the first time, the direct evidence of intercalation sites. A careful study exhibits the presence of two intercalation sites in this material when projected along the [-1-1 2 0] direction. Stoichiometry of the intercalated unit cell was also calculated from the projected potential.