Layer-Dependent Topological Phase in a Two-Dimensional Quasicrystal and Approximant

TL;DR

This study explores the electronic and topological properties of a two-dimensional quasicrystal and its approximant, revealing layer-dependent topological phases and symmetry-protected nodal crossings, advancing understanding of quasicrystalline low-dimensional materials.

Contribution

It introduces a new platform for studying topology in quasicrystals, demonstrating layer-dependent topological phases and symmetry-protected features in 2D quasicrystalline materials.

Findings

Layer-dependent topological phases observed.

Symmetry-protected nodal crossings identified.

Electronic properties tunable by layer number.

Abstract

Electronic and topological properties of materials are derived from the interplay between crystalline symmetry and dimensionality. Simultaneously introducing 'forbidden' symmetries via quasiperiodic ordering with low-dimensionality into a material system promises the emergence of new physical phenomena. Here, we isolate a two-dimensional chalcogenide quasicrystal and approximant, and investigate associated electronic and topological properties. Ultra-thin two-dimensional layers of the materials with a composition close to Ta1.6Te, derived from a layered transition metal dichalcogenide, are isolated with standard exfoliation techniques and investigated with electron diffraction and atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Density functional theory calculations and symmetry analysis of the large unit-cell crystalline approximant of the quasicrystal Ta21Te13 reveal the presence of symmetry protected nodal crossings in the quasicrystalline and approximate phases whose presence is tunable by layer number. Our study provides a platform for the exploration of physics in quasicrystalline low-dimensional materials and the interconnected nature of topology, dimensionality and symmetry in electronic systems.