  We report the crystal growth and structural and electronic properties of
superconducting, van der Waals layered PtTe. Easily cleavable crystals with a
plate-like morphology consistent with the layered structure were grown from a
platinum rich flux. A consistent determination of $T_c = 0.57$ K is made from
the onset of diamagnetism, the zero of resistivity, and the midpoint of the
heat capacity jump. The observed behavior is consistent with type-II
superconductivity, with upper critical field at $T=0$ estimated using the
Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg theory to be 143 and 65 Oe for fields out of and in
the plane, respectively. The heat capacity discontinuity is close to the weak
coupling BCS value. Density functional theory calculations and analysis of the
electronic structure finds that PtTe is a topological semimetal with numerous
surface states, but suggests the superconducting state itself may be
topologically trivial. Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals a
normal-state Fermi surface in remarkable agreement with theory, and confirms
the overall topological nature of the material by experimental identification
of the surface bands. Together, these findings identify PtTe as an interesting
example of a cleavable, topological, and superconducting material.
