AI Article Synopsis
- Researchers are on the hunt for "ferroelectric metals," which uniquely combine electric polarization and metallic properties, but so far, none have been successfully identified.
- The study reveals that the PtBi₂ monolayer is a promising candidate as a two-dimensional topological ferroelectric metal, showing distinct electric polarization and advanced electronic characteristics.
- The findings suggest that applying strain can significantly amplify the material's ferroelectric bulk photovoltaic effect, offering potential for innovative applications in nonlinear optical devices.
Article Abstract
The pursuit for "ferroelectric metal," which combines seemingly incompatible spontaneous electric polarization and metallicity, has been assiduously ongoing but remains elusive. Unlike traditional ferroelectrics with a wide band gap, ferroelectric (FE) metals can naturally incorporate nontrivial band topology near the Fermi level, endowing them with additional exotic properties. Here, we show first-principles evidence that the metallic PtBi_{2} monolayer is an intrinsic two-dimensional (2D) topological FE metal, characterized by out-of-plane polarization and a moderate switching barrier. Moreover, it exhibits a topologically nontrivial electronic structure with Z_{2} invariant equal to 1, leading to a significant FE bulk photovoltaic effect. A slight strain can further enhance this effect to a remarkable level, which far surpasses that of previously reported 2D and 3D FE materials. Our Letter provides an important step toward realizing intrinsic monolayer topological FE metals and paves a promising way for future nonlinear optical devices.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.186801 | DOI Listing |
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