TY  - JOUR
AU  - Tilgner, Niclas
AU  - Wolff, Susanne
AU  - Soubatch, Serguei
AU  - Lee, Tien-Lin
AU  - Peña Unigarro, Andres David
AU  - Gemming, Sibylle
AU  - Tautz, F. Stefan
AU  - Seyller, Thomas
AU  - Kumpf, Christian
AU  - Göhler, Fabian
AU  - Schädlich, Philip
TI  - Reversible switching of the environment-protected quantum spin Hall insulator bismuthene at the graphene/SiC interface
JO  - Nature Communications
VL  - 16
IS  - 1
SN  - 2041-1723
CY  - [London]
PB  - Springer Nature
M1  - FZJ-2025-02987
SP  - 6171
PY  - 2025
AB  - Quantum spin Hall insulators have been extensively studied both theoretically and experimentally because they exhibit robust helical edge states driven by spin-orbit coupling and offer the potential for applications in spintronics through dissipationless spin transport. Here we show that a single layer of elemental Bi, formed by intercalation of an epitaxial graphene buffer layer on SiC(0001), is a promising candidate for a quantum spin Hall insulator. This layer can be reversibly switched between an electronically inactive precursor state and a bismuthene state, the latter exhibiting the predicted band structure of a true two-dimensional bismuthene layer. Switching is accomplished by hydrogenation (dehydrogenation) of the sample. A partial passivation (activation) of Si dangling bonds causes a lateral shift of Bi atoms involving a change of the adsorption site. In the bismuthene state, the Bi honeycomb layer is a prospective quantum spin Hall insulator, inherently protected by the graphene sheet above and the H-passivated substrate below.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - 40615386
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:001523057700029
DO  - DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-60440-x
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1043689
ER  -