Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects01:26

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects

Schottky defects arise when some lattice points in a crystal, such as those in NaCl, remain unoccupied, creating lattice vacancies without disturbing the overall electrical neutrality of the crystal. This defect is common in ionic crystals where the positive and negative ions are similar in size, as seen in sodium chloride and cesium chloride. The presence of Schottky defects enables the crystal to conduct electricity to a small extent through an ionic mechanism. Electric fields cause nearby...
The Seven Crystal Systems: Overview01:24

The Seven Crystal Systems: Overview

Crystals with various point group symmetries belong to different crystal classes, which are synonymous terms. Despite being in the same class, crystals may have distinct shapes, like cubes and octahedra. There are 32 three-dimensional point groups, all of which are systematically divided into seven crystal systems.The basic cubic crystal system, exemplified by NaCl, features orthogonal vectors (α = β = �� = 90°) of equal lengths (a = b = c). When specific requirements are not imposed on the...
Metallic Solids02:37

Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
Types Of Superconductors01:28

Types Of Superconductors

A superconductor is a substance that offers zero resistance to the electric current when it drops below a critical temperature. Zero resistance is not the only interesting phenomenon as materials reach their transition temperatures. A second effect is the exclusion of magnetic fields. This is known as the Meissner effect. A light, permanent magnet placed over a superconducting sample will levitate in a stable position above the superconductor. High-speed trains that levitate on strong...
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Types of Semiconductors01:20

Types of Semiconductors

Intrinsic semiconductors are highly pure materials with no impurities. At absolute zero, these semiconductors behave as perfect insulators because all the valence electrons are bound, and the conduction band is empty, disallowing electrical conduction. The Fermi level is a concept used to describe the probability of occupancy of energy levels by electrons at thermal equilibrium. In intrinsic semiconductors, the Fermi level is positioned at the midpoint of the energy gap at absolute zero. When...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Investigating the electronic and magnetic properties of Na <sub><i>x</i></sub> Fe<sub>1/2</sub>Mn<sub>1/2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> cathode materials with X-ray Compton scattering.

RSC advances·2026
Same author

Green's function methods for computing supercurrents in Josephson junctions.

Reports on progress in physics. Physical Society (Great Britain)·2026
Same author

Interlayer Charge-Density-Wave Vector Phase Induced Structural Chirality.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Accurate prediction of tensorial spectra using equivariant graph neural network.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Layer-Dependent Antiferromagnetic Chern and Axion Insulating States in UOTe.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026
Same author

Giant Kohn Anomaly and Chiral Phonons in the Charge-Density Wave Phase of 1H-NbSe<sub>2</sub>: Impact of Phonon Anticrossing.

ACS nano·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Fabrication of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 Thermoelectric Thin Films using Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Technique
04:22

Fabrication of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 Thermoelectric Thin Films using Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Technique

Published on: May 17, 2024

Topological crystalline insulators in the SnTe material class.

Timothy H Hsieh1, Hsin Lin, Junwei Liu

  • 1Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

Nature Communications
|August 7, 2012
PubMed
Summary

We identified tin telluride (SnTe) as a topological crystalline insulator, a novel state of matter leveraging crystal symmetries. This discovery reveals unique surface states with potential for advanced electronic and thermoelectric applications.

More Related Videos

Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating
10:36

Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating

Published on: April 12, 2018

Solution&#45;Processed, Surface&#45;Engineered, Polycrystalline CdSe&#45;SnSe Exhibiting Low Thermal Conductivity
09:23

Solution-Processed, Surface-Engineered, Polycrystalline CdSe-SnSe Exhibiting Low Thermal Conductivity

Published on: May 17, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Fabrication of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 Thermoelectric Thin Films using Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Technique
04:22

Fabrication of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 Thermoelectric Thin Films using Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Technique

Published on: May 17, 2024

Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating
10:36

Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating

Published on: April 12, 2018

Solution&#45;Processed, Surface&#45;Engineered, Polycrystalline CdSe&#45;SnSe Exhibiting Low Thermal Conductivity
09:23

Solution-Processed, Surface-Engineered, Polycrystalline CdSe-SnSe Exhibiting Low Thermal Conductivity

Published on: May 17, 2024

Area of Science:

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Solid-State Physics

Background:

  • Topological crystalline insulators represent a new frontier in condensed matter physics, where electronic properties are dictated by crystal symmetries.
  • Understanding these materials is crucial for developing next-generation electronic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To predict the first material realization of a topological crystalline insulator in the semiconductor tin telluride (SnTe).
  • To identify the non-zero topological index and characterize the resulting surface states.
  • To explore potential applications stemming from the unique electronic properties of SnTe.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical prediction and identification of the non-zero topological index in SnTe.
  • Analysis of surface states on high-symmetry crystal planes ({001}, {110}, {111}).
  • Investigation of symmetry breaking effects using strain engineering and magnetic fields.

Main Results:

  • SnTe is predicted to be a topological crystalline insulator with metallic surface states featuring an even number of Dirac cones.
  • These surface states exhibit high mobility, robustness against disorder, and topological protection by {110} mirror symmetry.
  • Breaking mirror symmetry through strain or magnetic fields creates a tunable surface band gap.

Conclusions:

  • SnTe represents a promising material for realizing topological crystalline insulator properties.
  • The tunable surface band gap opens avenues for applications in thermoelectrics, infrared detection, and tunable electronics.
  • Related materials like PbTe and PbSe can also be tuned into topological crystalline insulators.