Prediction of quantum anomalous Hall effect in CrI3/ScCl2 bilayer heterostructure

Based on first-principles calculations, a two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) bilayer heterostructure consisting of two topologically trivial ferromagnetic (FM) monolayers CrI₃ and ScCl₂ is proposed to realize the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) with a sizable topologically nontrivial band gap of 4.5 meV. Its topological nature is attributed to an interlayer band inversion between the monolayers and critically depends on the symmetry of the stacking configuration. We further demonstrate that the topologically nontrivial band gap can be increased nearly linearly by the application of a perpendicular external pressure and reaches 8.1 meV at 2.7 GPa, and the application of an external out-of-plane electric field can also modulate the band gap and convert the system back to topologically trivial via eliminating the band inversion. An effective model is developed to describe the topological phase evolution in this bilayer heterostructure. This work provides a new candidate system based on 2D vdW materials for realization of potential high-temperature QAHE with considerable controllability.     

NOVEL FORMATION AND DECAY MECHANISMS OF NANOSTRUCTURES ON THE SURFACE

For decades the research on thin-film growth has attracted considerable attention as these kinds of materials have the potential for a new generation of device application. It is known that the nuclei at the initial stage of the islands are more stable than others and certain atoms are inert while others are active. In this paper, by using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we will show that, when a surfactant layer is used to mediate the growth, a counter-intuitive fractal-to-compact island shape transition can be induced by increasing deposition flux or decreasing growth temperature. Specifically, we introduce a reaction-limited aggregation (RLA) theory, where the physical process controlling the island shape transition is the shielding effect of adatoms stuck to the stable islands on the incoming adatoms. Moreover, the origin of a transition from triangular to hexagonal and then to inverted triangular as well as the decay characteristics of three-dimensional islands on the surface and relations of our unique predictions with recent experiments will be discussed. Furthermore, we will present a novel idea to make use of the condensation energy of adatoms to control the island evolution along a special direction.     

Giant Rashba-like spin-orbit splitting with distinct spin texture in two-dimensional heterostructures

Based on first-principles density functional theory calculation, we discover a novel form of spin-orbit (SO) splitting in two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures composed of a single Bi(111) bilayer stacking with a 2D semiconducting In₂Se₂ or a 2D ferroelectric α-In₂Se₃ layer. Such SO splitting has a Rashba-like but distinct spin texture in the valence band around the maximum, where the chirality of the spin texture reverses within the upper spin-split branch, in contrast to the conventional Rashba systems where the upper branch and lower branch have opposite chirality solely in the region below the band crossing point. The ferroelectric nature of α-In₂Se₃ further enables the tuning of the spin texture upon the reversal of the electric polarization with the application of an external electric field. Detailed analysis based on a tight-binding model reveals that such SO splitting texture results from the interplay of complex orbital characters and substrate interaction. This finding enriches the diversity of SO splitting systems and is also expected to promise for spintronic applications.     

Machine learning potential aided structure search for low-lying candidates of Au clusters

A machine learning (ML) potential for Au clusters is developed through training on a dataset including several different sized clusters. This ML potential accurately covers the whole configuration space of Au clusters in a broad size range, thus expressing a good performance in search of their global minimum energy structures. Based on our potential, the low-lying structures of 17 different sized Au clusters are identified, which shows that small sized Au clusters tend to form planar structures while large ones are more likely to be stereo, revealing the critical size for the two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) structural transition. Our calculations demonstrate that ML is indeed powerful in describing the interaction of Au atoms and provides a new paradigm on accelerating the search of structures.     

Metal substrates-induced phase transformation of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides for hydrogen evolution catalysis

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides can normally exist in several structural polymorphs with distinct electrical, optical, and catalytic properties. Effective control of the relative stability and transformation of different phases in these materials is thus of critical importance for applications. Using density functional theory calculations, we investigate the effects of low-work-function metal substrates including Ti, Zr, and Hf on the structural, electronic, and catalytic properties of monolayer MoS₂ and WS₂. The results indicate that such substrates not only convert the energetically stable structure from the 1H phase to the 1T'/1T phase, but also significantly reduce the kinetic barriers of the phase transformation. Furthermore, our calculations also indicate that the 1T' phase of MoS₂ with Zr or Hf substrate is a potential catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.     

V族元素掺杂的单层二维铁电α-In2Se3中的带隙异常增大现象

基于第一性原理密度泛函理论计算, 我们探索了 V 族元素(P,As 和Sb) 掺杂的单层二维铁电α-In2Se3 的电子结构. 由于本征的α-In2Se3 中存在两个不等价的In 原子层,V 族元素掺杂在不同的In 原子层会表现出不同的能带结构, 对于带隙变化尤为明显. 当掺杂元素位于α-In2Se3 的四面体配位的In 原子层时, 其带隙相比于本征的单层α-In2Se3 的带隙明显增大, 这与通常半导体或绝缘体中杂质掺杂的物理图像相反. 利用α-In2Se3 的铁电特性, V族元素掺杂的单层α-In2Se3 的带隙可以通过施加外电场翻转α-In2Se3 电极化的方向来调控. 这项工作为在二维材料中构建具有不同电子性质的非易失双态提供了一种实际有效的方法.     

Competition between Stepwise Polarization Switching and Chirality Coupling in Ferroelectric GeS Nanotubes

Ferroelectricity of group-Ⅳ chalcogenides MX(M = Ge,Sn;X = Se,S) monolayers has been extensively investigated.However,how the ferroelectricity evolves in their one-dimensional nanotubes remains largely unclear.Employing an accurate deep-learning interatomic potential of first-principles precision,we uncover a general stepwise mechanism for polarization switching in zigzag and chiral Ge S nanotubes,which has an energy barrier that is substantially lower than the one associated with the convention...