Nanoscale Superconducting Honeycomb Charge Order in IrTe2

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery of a nanoscale honeycomb charge order in IrTe2 that coexists with superconductivity below 3 K, revealing complex electronic interactions and new possibilities for two-dimensional material functionalities.

Contribution

It presents the first observation of a honeycomb charge order in IrTe2 and explores its coexistence with superconductivity, advancing understanding of charge order and superconductivity interplay.

Findings

Nanoscale honeycomb charge order observed in IrTe2 surface.

Superconductivity detected below 3 K in the honeycomb phase.

Charge order domains do not support superconductivity.

Abstract

Entanglement of charge orderings and other electronic orders such as superconductivity is in the core of challenging physics issues of complex materials including high temperature superconductivity. Here, we report on the observation of a unique nanometer scale honeycomb charge ordering of the cleaved IrTe2 surface, which hosts a superconducting state. IrTe2 was recently established to exhibit an intriguing cascade of stripe charge orders. The stripe phases coexist with a hexagonal phase, which is formed locally and falls into a superconducting state below 3 K. The atomic and electronic structures of the honeycomb and hexagon pattern of this phase are consistent with the charge order nature but the superconductivity does not survive on neighboring stripe charge order domains. The present work provides an intriguing physics issue and a new direction of functionalization for two dimensional materials.