Evidence of Ferroelectric Distortions in Topological Crystalline Insulators via Transverse Thermoelectric Measurements

authored by

Pranav Negi, Bin He, Denis Ukolov, Sharona Horta, Krishnendu Maji, Ning Mao, Nikolai Peshcherenko, Premakumar Yanda, Mengyu Yao, Moinak Dutta, Iñigo Robredo, Mikel Iraola, Maia G. Vergniory, Peter Lemmens, Yang Zhang, Chandra Shekhar, Maria Ibáñez, Claudia Felser, Subhajit Roychowdhury

Abstract

The transverse thermoelectric (Nernst) effect is a powerful probe for studying the electronic and structural properties of materials. In this study, we employ transverse thermoelectric measurements to investigate the ferroelectric distortion in the topological crystalline insulator (TCI) Pb

_0.60Sn

_0.40Te, a compound derived from PbTe and SnTe, known for their exceptional thermoelectric performance and distinct ferroelectric properties. By leveraging Nernst measurements, we provide direct evidence of ferroelectric distortion in this TCI, corroborated by Shubnikov-de Haas quantum oscillations that confirm the presence of two topologically nontrivial Fermi pockets. Density functional theory calculations show that these pockets originate from the L and T points in the Brillouin zone of the distorted structure within the TCI phase. Raman spectroscopy further identifies a structural phase transition below 50 K, consistent with the quantum oscillation observations. This observation is further substantiated by temperature-dependent synchrotron X-ray pair distribution function analysis and transmission electron microscopy, which confirm the local off-centering of cations at low temperature. These findings underscore the potential of transverse thermoelectric measurements in unveiling ferroelectric distortions and their role in modulating topological quantum states, opening new directions for research into the synergy between ferroelectricity and topological phases.

External Organisation(s)

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (MPI CPfS)
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
University of Houston
Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW)
Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC)
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Paderborn University
Institute for Condensed Matter Physics Nasu
Michigan State University (MSU)

Type

Article

Journal

Journal of the American Chemical Society

Volume

147

Pages

18704-18711

No. of pages

ISSN

0002-7863

Publication date

04.06.2025

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Catalysis, General Chemistry, Biochemistry, Colloid and Surface Chemistry

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c01700 (Access: Unknown)
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.5c01700 (Access: Unknown)

BibTeX

@article{a1189b09071347e4ba608b6355534332,
title = "Evidence of Ferroelectric Distortions in Topological Crystalline Insulators via Transverse Thermoelectric Measurements",
abstract = "The transverse thermoelectric (Nernst) effect is a powerful probe for studying the electronic and structural properties of materials. In this study, we employ transverse thermoelectric measurements to investigate the ferroelectric distortion in the topological crystalline insulator (TCI) Pb 0.60Sn 0.40Te, a compound derived from PbTe and SnTe, known for their exceptional thermoelectric performance and distinct ferroelectric properties. By leveraging Nernst measurements, we provide direct evidence of ferroelectric distortion in this TCI, corroborated by Shubnikov-de Haas quantum oscillations that confirm the presence of two topologically nontrivial Fermi pockets. Density functional theory calculations show that these pockets originate from the L and T points in the Brillouin zone of the distorted structure within the TCI phase. Raman spectroscopy further identifies a structural phase transition below 50 K, consistent with the quantum oscillation observations. This observation is further substantiated by temperature-dependent synchrotron X-ray pair distribution function analysis and transmission electron microscopy, which confirm the local off-centering of cations at low temperature. These findings underscore the potential of transverse thermoelectric measurements in unveiling ferroelectric distortions and their role in modulating topological quantum states, opening new directions for research into the synergy between ferroelectricity and topological phases.",
author = "Pranav Negi and Bin He and Denis Ukolov and Sharona Horta and Krishnendu Maji and Ning Mao and Nikolai Peshcherenko and Premakumar Yanda and Mengyu Yao and Moinak Dutta and I{\~n}igo Robredo and Mikel Iraola and Vergniory, {Maia G.} and Peter Lemmens and Yang Zhang and Chandra Shekhar and Maria Ib{\'a}{\~n}ez and Claudia Felser and Subhajit Roychowdhury",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 American Chemical Society.",
year = "2025",
month = jun,
day = "4",
doi = "10.1021/jacs.5c01700",
language = "English",
volume = "147",
pages = "18704--18711",
journal = "Journal of the American Chemical Society",
issn = "0002-7863",
publisher = "American Chemical Society",
number = "22",
}