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Updated: Jul 19, 2025
Fabricating van der Waals Heterostructures with Precise Rotational Alignment
Published on: July 5, 2019
Kanatzidisite: A Natural Compound with Distinctive van der Waals Heterolayered Architecture
Luca Bindi1, Xiuquan Zhou2, Tianqi Deng3,4
1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via G. La Pira 4, I-50121 Firenze, Italy.
Abstract:
New minerals have long been a source of inspiration for the design and discovery. Many quantum materials, including superconductors, quantum spin liquids, and topological materials, have been unveiled through mineral samples with unusual structure types. In this report, we present kanatzidisite, a new naturally occurring material with formula [BiSbS3]2[Te2] and monoclinic symmetry (space group of P21/m) with lattice parameters a = 4.0021(5) Å, b = 3.9963(5) Å, c = 21.1009(10) Å, and β = 95.392(3)°. The mineral exhibits a unique structure consisting of alternating BiSbS3 double van der Waals layers and distorted [Te] square nets essentially forming an array of parallel zigzag Te chains. Our theoretical calculations suggest that the band structure of kanatzidisite may exhibit topological features characteristic of a Dirac semimetal.
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