Turning ZrTe 5 into a semiconductor through atom intercalation

In this study we successfully intercalated potassium (K) atoms into single ZrTe5 crystals by liquid ammonia method, and found a semimetal-to-semiconductor transition at low temperatures in K-intercalated ZrTe5. As the K concentration increased, the resistance anomalous peak was gradually suppressed until finally disappearing. Whilst, the corresponding Hall resistance measurements consistently showed a sign reversal. The semimetal-to-semiconductor transition can be attributed to a lattice expansion induced by atom intercalation, leading to a larger energy band gap.