Topological insulators are materials that let electric current flow across their surface while keeping it from passing it through their bulk. This exotic property makes topological insulators very promising for electricity with less energy loss, spintronics, and perhaps even quantum computing. EPFL scientists have now identified a new class of topological insulators, and have discovered its first representative material, which could propel topological insulators into applications. The work, which was carried out within the framework of the EPFL-led NCCR Marvel project, is published in Nature Materials.
The technological promise of topological insulators has led to an intense search for optimal natural and man-made materials with such properties. Such research combines theoretical work that predicts what properties the structure of a particular material would have. The "candidate" materials that are identified with computer simulations are then passed for experimental examination to see if their topological insulating properties match the theoretical predictions.
This is what the lab of Oleg Yazyev at EPFL's Institute of Theoretical Physics has accomplished, working with experimentalist colleagues from around the world. By theoretically testing potential candidates from the database of previously described materials, the team has identified a material, described as a "crystalline phase" of bismuth iodide, as the first of a new class of topological insulators.
What makes this material particularly exciting is the fact that its atomic structure does not resemble any other topological insulator known to date, which makes its properties very different as well.
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