Toward 1D Transport in 3D Materials: SOC-Induced Charge-Transport Anisotropy in SmZrBi.

1D charge transport offers great insight into strongly correlated physics, such as Luttinger liquids, electronic instabilities, and superconductivity. Although 1D charge transport is observed in nanomaterials and quantum wires, examples in bulk crystalline solids remain elusive. In this work, it is demonstrated that spin-orbit coupling (SOC) can act as a mechanism to induce quasi-1D charge transport in the LnMPn (Ln = lanthanide; M = transition metal; Pn = Pnictide) family.

A Class of Magnetic Topological Material Candidates with Hypervalent Bi Chains.

The link between crystal and electronic structure is crucial for understanding structure-property relations in solid-state chemistry. In particular, it has been instrumental in understanding topological materials, where electrons behave differently than they would in conventional solids. Herein, we identify 1D Bi chains as a structural motif of interest for topological materials.

The non-centrosymmetric layered compounds IrTeI and RhTeI.

The previously unreported layered compounds IrTeI and RhTeI were prepared by a high-pressure synthesis method. Single crystal X-ray and powder X-ray diffraction studies find that the compounds are isostructural, crystallizing in a layered orthorhombic structure in the non-centrosymmetric, non-symmorphic space group 2 (#29). Characterization reveals diamagnetic, high resistivity, semiconducting behavior for both compounds, consistent with the +3 chemical valence and electronic configurations for both iridium and rhodium and the Te-Te dimers seen in the structural study.