Topological insulator nanostructures
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Introduction Topological insulators (TIs) are a class of materials where the bulk is a band insulator, but the surface possesses electronic states carrying electric current.1,2 One unique characteristic of the surface bands is the spin-momentum locking property—electrons have a single spin state perpendicular to their moving direction (i.e., a helical spin state). This unique spin nature of the gapless surface states holds promise for new electronics applications (i.e., spintronics devices and quantum information processes), as well as for applications in energy conversion such as thermoelectrics. TI materials, mostly metal dichalcogenides with small bulk bandgaps, can be synthesized in various forms such as bulk crystals, thin films, and nanostructures. Bulk crystals of topological insulators were important material platforms in the early stage of TI studies—topological surface states can be easily probed using surface-sensitive techniques despite the coexisting background bulk electrons.3–9 However, when it comes to electron transport essential for TI studies and applications, the dominance of bulk carriers over surface conduction becomes a significant challenge.10–13 A tiny amount (
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