Engineering topics

Wan, Xiangang

Publications and source records attributed to Wan, Xiangang.

4 records

DOE OSTI2022

Pressure engineering of intertwined phase transitions in lanthanide monopnictide NdSb

Coexistence of non-trivial band topology and intrinsic magnetic order not only leads to emergent phenomena but also allows for the tunability of the exotic properties from different degrees of freedom. By performing transport measurements at synergetic extreme conditions, here we report on pressure engineering of intertwined structural, magnetic, and topological phase transitions in antiferromagnetic Dirac semimetal NdSb. We show that the original antiferromagnetic state is strengthened in the low pressure region while destabilized upon further compression close to the critical pressure when a structural transition from Fm-3m phase to P4/mmm phase takes place at P C ~ 18 GPa, forming a Ger-shaped evolution in response to magnetic field, pressure and temperature. Concomitant with the structural transition, NdSb simultaneously carries on a magnetic transition to the ferromagnetic state. Further, theoretical calculations unravel that the ferromagnetic tetragonal phase presents nontrivial features of Weyl fermions. These findings offer new important insight into the microscopic interplay among lattice, spin, and relativistic fermions in lanthanide monopnictides.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

X Fe 4 Ge 2 ( X = Y , Lu ) and Mn 3 Pt : Filling-enforced magnetic topological metals

Magnetism, coupled with nontrivial band topology, can bring about many interesting and exotic phenomena, so that magnetic topological materials have attracted persistent research interest. However, compared with nonmagnetic topological materials (TMs), the magnetic TMs are less studied, since their magnetic structures and topological phase transitions are usually complex and the first-principles predictions are usually sensitive on the effect of Coulomb interaction. Here we present a comprehensive investigation of XFe 4 Ge 2 (X = Y, Lu) and Mn 3 Pt, and find these materials to be filling-enforced magnetic topological metals. Our first-principles calculations show that XFe 4 Ge 2 (X = Y, Lu) host Dirac points near the Fermi level at high symmetry point S. These Dirac points are protected by $\text{P}\mathcal{T}$ symmetry ($\text{P}$ and $\mathcal{T}$ are inversion and time-reversal transformations, respectively) and a twofold screw rotation symmetry. Moreover, through breaking $\text{P}\mathcal{T}$ symmetry, the Dirac points would split into Weyl nodes. Mn 3 Pt is found to host fourfold degenerate band crossings in the whole high symmetry path of A – Z . We also utilize the GGA + U scheme to take into account the effect of Coulomb repulsion and find that the filling-enforced topological properties are naturally insensitive on U .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2019

Two-dimensional topological materials discovery by symmetry-indicator method

Two-dimensional (2D) topological materials (TMs) have attracted tremendous attention due to the promise of revolutionary devices with nondissipative electric or spin currents. Unfortunately, the scarcity of 2D TMs holds back the experimental realization of such devices. In this work, based on our recently developed, highly efficient TM discovery algorithm using symmetry indicators, we explore the possible 2D TMs in all nonmagnetic compounds in four recently proposed materials databases for possible 2D materials. We identify hundreds of 2D TM candidates, including 205 topological (crystalline) insulators and 299 topological semimetals. In particular, we highlight MoS, with a mirror Chern number of –4, as a possible experimental platform for studying the interaction-induced modification to the topological classification of materials. Here, our results winnow out the topologically interesting 2D materials from these databases and provide a TM gene pool for further experimental studies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2019

Enormous electron-electron scattering in the filled-cage cubic compound B a 10 T i 24 B i 39

Cubic intermetallic compound Ba 10 Ti 24 Bi 39 has a Ba 6 Bi 16 polyhedral cage with a Bi guest atom encapsulated inside. The compound can be formulated as Ba 5 Ti 12 Bi$_{19+x}$ when $x$ signifies the extra Bi atoms filling cages. It crystallizes in a complex noncentrosymmetric cubic structure in space group $P-43m$ with cell parameter $a = 12.6787(4)Å$. The guest Bi atoms distribute diffusely in the cages and seem to play a role in stabilizing the crystal structure. The magnetic susceptibility of this compound shows a weak temperature dependence with a positive slope coefficient. The charge transport properties as a function of temperature exhibit two competing components which are in charge of positive and negative magnetoresistances. Electronic band-structure calculations reveal the complex multiband hybridization of Ti/Bi orbitals near the Fermi surface, which may play a role in the enormous electron-electron scattering in this material evidenced by the large Kadowaki-Woods ratio.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗