def nonstoichiometric_symmetrized_slab(self, init_slab, tol=1e-3):

        """
        This method checks whether or not the two surfaces of the slab are
        equivalent. If the point group of the slab has an inversion symmetry (
        ie. belong to one of the Laue groups), then it is assumed that the
        surfaces should be equivalent. Otherwise, sites at the bottom of the
        slab will be removed until the slab is symmetric. Note the removal of sites
        can destroy the stoichiometry of the slab. For non-elemental
        structures, the chemical potential will be needed to calculate surface energy.

        Arg:
            init_slab (Structure): A single slab structure
            tol (float): Tolerance for SpaceGroupanalyzer.

        Returns:
            Slab (structure): A symmetrized Slab object.
        """

        sg = SpacegroupAnalyzer(init_slab, symprec=tol)

        if sg.is_laue():
            return [init_slab]

        nonstoich_slabs = []
        # Build an equivalent surface slab for each of the different surfaces
        for top in [True, False]:
            asym = True
            slab = init_slab.copy()
            slab.energy = init_slab.energy

            while asym:
                # Keep removing sites from the bottom one by one until both
                # surfaces are symmetric or the number of sites removed has
                # exceeded 10 percent of the original slab

                c_dir = [site[2] for i, site in enumerate(slab.frac_coords)]

                if top:
                    slab.remove_sites([c_dir.index(max(c_dir))])
                else:
                    slab.remove_sites([c_dir.index(min(c_dir))])
                if len(slab) <= len(self.parent):
                    break

                # Check if the altered surface is symmetric
                sg = SpacegroupAnalyzer(slab, symprec=tol)
                if sg.is_laue():
                    asym = False
                    nonstoich_slabs.append(slab)

        if len(slab) <= len(self.parent):
            warnings.warn("Too many sites removed, please use a larger slab "
                          "size.")

        return nonstoich_slabs