title: The new phase [Tl₄Sb₆Se₁₀][Sn₅Sb₂Se₁₄]: a naturally formed semiconducting heterostructure with two-dimensional conductance.
abstract: We report on a new layered semiconductor Tl8Sn10Sb16Se48 with an indirect band gap of 0.45 eV. The novel structure is made of alternating layers of SnSe2-type [Sn5Sb2Se14] and SnSe-type [Tl4Sb6Se10]. The material exhibits two-dimensional (2D) electron variable range hopping at low temperatures, indicating an absence of interlayer coherency of the electronic state. Theoretical calculations unveil a 2D confinement for electrons in the [Sn5Sb2Se14] sheet and confirm the heterostructure nature. This unique electronic structure is attributed to the weak interlayer coupling and structure distortion in the electron-poor [Tl4Sb6Se10] layer that energetically impedes electron propagation.
authors: Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Fang
authors: Ratnasabapathy G
authors: RG
authors: Iyer
authors: Gangjian
authors: G
authors: Tan
authors: Damien J
authors: DJ
authors: West
authors: Shengbai
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: Mercouri G
authors: MG
authors: Kanatzidis