Solution growth and physical properties of RPd3S4 topological semimetals

Topological materials feature unique electronic structures marked by symmetry protected states that give rise to remarkable properties including high magnetoresistance and anomalous Hall effect. We present a study of the sulfide bronzes RPd₃S₄ (R = rare earth), which adopt the cubic Pm-3n structure. The nonmagnetic Y and La members are predicted to host Dirac and other symmetry protected high degeneracy points in their electronic structures, and the moment bearing analogues exhibit both ferro- and antiferromagetic order, indicating RPd₃S₄ may represent a new family of magnetic TSMs. We provide a solution growth of mm-sized RPd₃S₄ for R = La, Ce, Nd crystals. Our synthesis utilizes the Pd-S eutectic and fritted crucibles that allow for re-use and fractionation of reaction melts to determine the optimal conditions for crystallization. We anticipate the methodology to be generalizable to other materials with difficult crystal growths. Finally, we present characterization of the magnetic and electronic transport properties of our RPd₃S₄ crystals.