${\mathrm{Bi}}_2{\mathrm{Se}}_3$ has been the focus of intense interest over the past decade due to its topological properties. Bi surfaces are known to form on ${\mathrm{Bi}}_2{\mathrm{Se}}_3$ upon exposure to atmosphere, but their electronic structure has not been investigated. We report band structure measurements of such Bi surfaces using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Measured spectra can be well explained by the band structure of a single bilayer of Bi on ${\mathrm{Bi}}_2{\mathrm{Se}}_3$, and show that Bi surfaces consistently dominate the photoemission signal for air exposure times of at least one hour. These results demonstrate that atmospheric effects should be taken into consideration when identifying two-dimensional transport channels, and when designing surface-sensitive measurements of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_2{\mathrm{Se}}_3$, ideally limiting air exposure to no more than a few minutes.

• Received 14 December 2020
• Revised 26 January 2021
• Accepted 25 April 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.8.054201