Complexities at the Au/ZrS3(001) interface probed by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy

Magnetocapacitance at the Ni/BiInO3 Schottky Interface

We report the observation of a magnetocapacitance effect at the interface between Ni and epitaxial nonpolar BiInO3 thin films at room temperature. A detailed surface study using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals the formation of an intermetallic Ni-Bi alloy at the Ni/BiInO3 interface and a shift in the Bi 4f and In 3d core levels to higher binding energies with increasing Ni thickness. The latter infers band bending in BiInO3, corresponding to the formation of a p-type Schottky barrier. The current-voltage characteristics of the Ni/BiInO3/(Ba,Sr)RuO3/NdScO3(110) heterostructure show a significant dependence on the applied magnetic field and voltage cycling, which can be attributed to voltage-controlled band bending and spin-polarized charge accumulation in the vicinity of the Ni/BiInO3 interface. The magnetocapacitance effect can be realized at room temperature without involving multiferroic materials.

Chiral photocurrent in a Quasi-1D TiS3(001) phototransistor

The presence of in-plane chiral effects, hence spin-orbit coupling, is evident in the changes in the photocurrent produced in a TiS₃(001) field-effect phototransistor with left versus right circularly polarized light. The direction of the photocurrent is protected by the presence of strong spin-orbit coupling and the anisotropy of the band structure as indicated in NanoARPES measurements. Dark electronic transport measurements indicate that TiS₃is n-type and has an electron mobility in the range of 1-6 cm²V^-1s^-1.I-Vmeasurements under laser illumination indicate the photocurrent exhibits a bias directionality dependence, reminiscent of bipolar spin diode behavior. Because the TiS₃contains no heavy elements, the presence of spin-orbit coupling must be attributed to the observed loss of inversion symmetry at the TiS₃(001) surface.

Layered GeI2: A wide-bandgap semiconductor for thermoelectric applications–A perspective

Layered GeI2 is a two-dimensional wide-bandgap van der Waals semiconductor, which is theorized to be a promising material for thermoelectric applications. While the value of the experimentally extrapolated indirect optical bandgap of GeI2 is found to be consistent with the existing theoretical calculations, its potential as a thermoelectric material still lacks experimental validation. In this Perspective, recent experimental efforts aimed towards investigating its dynamical properties and tuning its bandgap further, via intercalation, are discussed. A thorough understanding of its dynamical properties elucidates the extent of electron-phonon scattering in this system, knowledge of which is crucial in order to open pathways for future studies aiming to realize GeI2-based thermoelectric devices.