Realisation and Optimisation of Novel Topological Materials

This thesis details work with two topological materials, Sb2Te3 and RhPb2, with the overall aim of identifying and optimising novel materials candidates for the next generations of computational technologies.

Single crystals of Topological Insulator Sb2Te3 are synthesised, using excess Te in a melt growth to suppress the formation of point defects in the crystal and tune the electrical properties. The magnetotransport is characterised using a multiple-band transport model, where novel quantum oscillations are also resolved from non-trivial Dirac states in the bulk of the material.

Topological Superconductor candidate RhPb2 is synthesized using DC sputtering and an annealing protocol, producing single phase, textured, superconducting thin films for the first time. The electronic and superconducting properties of the system are established, and signatures of conventional phonon-mediated spin-singlet superconductivity are resolved.