Topological semimetallic phase in PbO$_2$ promoted by temperature

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the topological semimetallic phase in PbO$_2$ can be stabilized and promoted by increasing temperature, revealing a novel temperature-dependent topological order mechanism with potential technological implications.

Contribution

It introduces a new principle showing how temperature can promote topological order in materials, specifically in $eta$-PbO$_2$, through thermal expansion and electron-phonon interactions.

Findings

$eta$-PbO$_2$ hosts a temperature-promoted topological semimetallic phase.

The interplay between quasi-2D valence band and 3D conduction band drives this behavior.

A general design principle for temperature-stabilized topological materials is proposed.

Abstract

Materials exhibiting topological order host exotic phenomena that could form the basis for novel developments in areas ranging from low-power electronics to quantum computers. The past decade has witnessed multiple experimental realizations and thousands of predictions of topological materials. However, it has been determined that increasing temperature destroys topological order, restricting many topological materials to very low temperatures and thus hampering practical applications. Here, we propose a material realization of temperature promoted topological order. We show that a semiconducting oxide that has been widely used in lead-acid batteries, $\beta$-PbO$_2$, hosts a topological semimetallic phase driven by both thermal expansion and electron-phonon coupling upon increasing temperature. We identify the interplay between the quasi-two-dimensional nature of the charge distribution of the valence band with the three-dimensional nature of the charge distribution of the conduction band as the microscopic mechanism driving this unconventional temperature dependence. Thus, we propose a general principle to search for and design novel topological materials whose topological order is stabilized by increasing temperature. This provides a clear roadmap for taking topological materials from the laboratory to technological devices.