Electrochemical Modification and Characterization of Topological Insulator Single Crystals

We compare electrochemically modified or thiol-functionalized single-crystal samples of the topological insulator (TI) Bi2Te0.9Se2.1 to freshly cleaved/air-exposed control samples and use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the extent of any surface oxidation. XPS spectra for a TI...

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Veröffentlicht in:Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids. - 1992. - 35(2019), 8 vom: 26. Feb., Seite 2983-2988
1. Verfasser: Yang, Chaolong (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Cattelan, Mattia, Fox, Neil, Huang, Yingkai, Golden, Mark S, Schwarzacher, Walther
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2019
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
Schlagworte:Journal Article
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:We compare electrochemically modified or thiol-functionalized single-crystal samples of the topological insulator (TI) Bi2Te0.9Se2.1 to freshly cleaved/air-exposed control samples and use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the extent of any surface oxidation. XPS spectra for a TI sample maintained at an appropriate potential for 2 h demonstrate the feasibility of protecting the TI surface from oxidation while working in an electrochemical environment. Deliberate electrochemical oxidation, in contrast, generates prominent Bi, Te, and Se peaks associated with oxidation. However, this change is reversible, as further XPS spectra following electrochemical reduction are similar to those measured for an in situ cleaved sample. XPS also shows that adsorption of pentanedithiol (PDT) protects the TI surface from oxidation. Cyclic voltammetry shows that PDT adsorption suppresses electrochemical oxidation and reduction, while electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that it increases the charge transfer resistance significantly. Our work demonstrates the ability to control and characterize the surface chemistry of single-crystal TIs in an electrochemical environment for the first time
Beschreibung:Date Revised 20.11.2019
published: Print-Electronic
Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE
ISSN:1520-5827
DOI:10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b03801