Topological Properties in Strained Monolayer Antimony Iodide

Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators present a special phase of matter manifesting unique electronic properties. Till now, many monolayer binary compounds of Sb element, mainly with a honeycomb lattice, have been reported as 2D topological insulators. However, research of the topological insulating properties of the monolayer Sb compounds with square lattice is still lacking. Here, by means of the first-principles calculations, a monolayer SbI with square lattice is proposed to exhibit the tunable topological properties by applying strain. At different levels of the strain, the monolayer SbI shows two different structural phases: buckled square structure and buckled rectangular structure, exhibiting attracting topological properties. We find that in the buckled rectangular phase, when the strain is greater than 3.78%, the system experiences a topological phase transition from a nontrivial topological insulator to a trivial insulator, and the structure at the transition point actually is a Dirac semimetal possessing two type-I Dirac points. In addition, the system can achieve the maximum global energy gap of 72.5 meV in the topological insulator phase, implying its promising application at room temperature. This study extends the scope of 2D topological physics and provides a platform for exploring the low-dissipation quantum electronics devices.