Enhanced Superconductivity and Rashba Effect in a Buckled Plumbene-Au Kagome Superstructure

Adv Sci (Weinh). 2023 Jun;10(17):e2300845. doi: 10.1002/advs.202300845. Epub 2023 May 3.

Abstract

Plumbene, with a structure similar to graphene, is expected to possess a strong spin-orbit coupling and thus enhances its superconducting critical temperature (Tc ). In this work, a buckled plumbene-Au Kagome superstructure grown by depositing Au on Pb(111) is investigated. The superconducting gap monitored by temperature-dependent scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy shows that the buckled plumbene-Au Kagome superstructure not only has an enhanced Tc with respect to that of a monolayer Pb but also possesses a higher value than what owned by a bulk Pb substrate. By combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with density functional theory, the monolayer Au-intercalated low-buckled plumbene sandwiched between the top Au Kagome layer and the bottom Pb(111) substrate is confirmed and the electron-phonon coupling-enhanced superconductivity is revealed. This work demonstrates that a buckled plumbene-Au Kagome superstructure can enhance superconducting Tc and Rashba effect, effectively triggering the novel properties of a plumbene.

Keywords: Rashba effect; angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy; buckled plumbene; density functional theory; electron-phonon coupling; scanning tunneling microscopy; superconductivity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't