Crystal growth and magneto-transport of Bi2Se3 single crystals

In this letter, we report on the growth and characterization of bulk Bi2Se3 single crystals. The studied Bi2Se3 crystals are grown by the self-flux method through the solid-state reaction from high-temperature (950 °C) melt of constituent elements and slow cooling (2 °C/h). The resultant crystals are shiny and grown in the [00l] direction, as evidenced from surface XRD. Detailed Reitveld analysis of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) of the crystals showed that these are crystallized in the rhombohedral crystal structure with a space group of R3m (D5), and the lattice parameters are a = 4.14 (2), b = 4.14 (2), and c = 28.7010 (7) A° . Temperature versus resistivity (ρ − T ) plots revealed metallic conduction down to 2 K, with typical room temperature resistivity (ρ300 K) of around 0.53 mΩ- cm and residual resistivity (ρ0 K) of 0.12 mΩ-cm. Resistivity under magnetic field [ρ(T )H] measurements exhibited large+ve magneto-resistance right from 2 to 200 K. Isothermal magneto-resistance [ρH] measurements at 2, 100, and 200 K exhibited magneto-resistance (MR) of up to 240 %, 130 %, and 60 %, respectively, at 14 T. Further, the MR plots are nonsaturating and linear with the field at all temperatures. At 2 K, the MR plots showed clear quantum oscillations at above say 10 T applied field. Also, the Kohler plots, i.e., Δρ/ρo versus B/ρ, were seen consolidating on one plot. Interestingly, the studied Bi2Se3 single crystal exhibited the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations at 2 K under different applied magnetic fields ranging from 4 to 14 T.