Strain-Induced Quantum Spin Hall Effect in Two-Dimensional Methyl-Functionalized Silicene SiCH3

Quantum Spin Hall (QSH) has potential applications in low energy consuming spintronic devices and has become a researching hotspot recently. It benefits from insulators feature edge states, topologically protected from backscattering by time-reversal symmetry. The properties of methyl functionalized...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ceng-Ceng Ren, Wei-Xiao Ji, Shu-Feng Zhang, Chang-Wen Zhang, Ping Li, Pei-Ji Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-09-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/8/9/698
Description
Summary:Quantum Spin Hall (QSH) has potential applications in low energy consuming spintronic devices and has become a researching hotspot recently. It benefits from insulators feature edge states, topologically protected from backscattering by time-reversal symmetry. The properties of methyl functionalized silicene (SiCH3) have been investigated using first-principles calculations, which show QSH effect under reasonable strain. The origin of the topological characteristic of SiCH3, is mainly associated with the s-pxy orbitals band inversion at Γ point, whilst the band gap appears under the effect of spin-orbital coupling (SOC). The QSH phase of SiCH3 is confirmed by the topological invariant Z2 = 1, as well as helical edge states. The SiCH3 supported by hexagonal boron nitride (BN) film makes it possible to observe its non-trivial topological phase experimentally, due to the weak interlayer interaction. The results of this work provide a new potential candidate for two-dimensional honeycomb lattice spintronic devices in spintronics.
ISSN:2079-4991