We report strain induced modification of the topological surface band structure of layered transition metal dichalcogenide ${\mathrm{NiTe}}_2$, which hosts type-II Dirac points close to the Fermi level and topological surface states originating from band inversions along the $\mathrm{\Gamma }\text{−}A$ direction of the Brillouin zone. By means of first-principles density functional theory calculations, we predict the evolution of the surface states, analyzing their dispersion and spin texture, eventually showing a relevant modulation of their filling as a function of the uniaxial in-plane strain conditions. Synchrotron-based angle-resolved photoemission experiments, using an experimental setup to induce strain in two-dimensional layered materials, demonstrate a clear variation of the spin-polarized topological surface band structure of ${\mathrm{NiTe}}_2$, in agreement with theoretical predictions. Our study suggests the possibility of tuning ${\mathrm{NiTe}}_2$'s topological surface states with external uniaxial strain, leading to further studies on diverse strain conditions and spintronic applications.

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• Electronic structure
• First-principles calculations
• Surface states
• Topological materials
• Dirac semimetal
• Transition metal dichalcogenides
• Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy
• Strain engineering