Magnetotransport Properties of a Nodal Line Semimetal TiSi

We report the magnetoresistance（MR）, de Haas-van Alphen（dHvA） effect and Hall effect measurements on a single crystal of TiSi, which is predicted to be a nodal line semimetal. With application of a magnetic field, a metal-to-insulator-like transition in ρ（T） and a nonsaturating MR are observed at low temperatures. The dHvA oscillations reveal a small Fermi-surface pocket with a nontrivial Berry phase. The analysis of the nonlinear Hall resistivity shows that TiSi is a multiband system with low carrier densities and high mobilities. All these results unambiguously prove the existence of Dirac fermions in TiSi.

Superconductivity at the Normal Metal/Dirac Semimetal Cd3As2 Interface

We investigate the interface between a three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 and a normal metal via softpoint contact spectroscopy measurement.The superconducting gap features were detected below 3.8 K and 7.1 K in the case of Cd3As2 single crystals sputter-coated with the Pt and Au films,respectively,in the differential conductance dI/dV-V plots of the point contacts.As the applied magnetic field increased,the drop in the zerobias contact resistance shifted toward lower temperatures.The topologically non-trivial band structure of Cd3As2 is considered to play a crucial role in inducing the superconductivity.Apart from realizing superconductivity in topological materials,our creative approach can be used to investigate possible topological superconductivity and exhibits a high application potential in electronic devices.

Multiple anti-counterfeiting strategy by integrating up-conversion,down-shifting luminescence, phosphorescence and photochromism into Na YTiO4: Bi/Er phosphors

With the rapid development of science and technology,the high-security-level anti-counterfeiting technique is essential for ensuring property or information security.In this work,we prepared micron NaYTiO_(4):Bi/Er(NYT:Bi/Er) phosphors with integrating up-conversion(UC) photoluminescence,downshifting(DS) emission,phosphorescence and photochromism(PC) performances for advanced multiple anti-counterfeiting application.Owing to the abundant energy levels of Er^(3+)ions,the UC and DS luminescence behaviors are anticipated.Specifically,the yellow-green emission of Er^(3+)ions can be observed upon 980 nm excitation,and the bright green emission is demonstrated under 281 or 254 nm excitation due to the energy transitions of Er^(3+)ions and the energy transfer process from Bi^(3+)to Er^(3+)ions.Besides,the introduction of Bi^(3+)ions generates defect levels in the matrix and thus leads to phosphorescence.Furthermore,the repeatable PC performance could be triggered by the 365 nm irradiation and vanished with 450 nm illumination or thermal stimulation.To verify the practical usability of NYT:Bi/Er phosphors on anti-counterfeiting applications,some experiments are designed and successfully executed.It is believed that the NYT:Bi/Er phosphors can be a promising candidate for high-security-level multiple anti-counterfeiting.

Large transverse thermoelectric figure of merit in a topological Dirac semimetal

The Seebeck effect encounters a few fundamental constraints hindering its thermoelectric(TE)conversion efficiency.Most notably,there are the charge compensation of electrons and holes that diminishes this effect,and the Wiedemann-Franz(WF)law that makes independent optimization of the corresponding electrical and thermal conductivities impossible.Here,we demonstrate that in the topological Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 the Nernst effect,i.e.,the transverse counterpart of the Seebeck effect,can generate a large TE figure of merit zNT.At room temperature,zNT≈0.5 in a small field of 2 T and it significantly surmounts its longitudinal counterpart for any field.A large Nernst effect is generically expected in topological semimetals,benefiting from both the bipolar transport of compensated electrons and holes and their high mobilities.In this case,heat and charge transport are orthogonal,i.e.,not intertwined by the WF law anymore.More importantly,further optimization of zNT by tuning the Fermi level to the Dirac node can be anticipated due to not only the enhanced bipolar transport,but also the anomalous Nernst effect arising from a pronounced Berry curvature.A combination of the topologically trivial and nontrivial advantages promises to open a new avenue towards high-efficient transverse thermoelectricity.