Two-dimensional inversion-asymmetric topological insulators in functionalized III-Bi bilayers

The search for inversion-asymmetric topological insulators (IATIs) persists as an effect for realizing new topological phenomena. However, so far only a few IATIs have been discovered and there is no IATI exhibiting a large band gap exceeding 0.6 eV. Using first-principles calculations, we predict a series of new IATIs in saturated Group III-Bi bilayers. We show that all these IATIs preserve extraordinary large bulk band gaps, which are well above room temperature, allowing for viable applications in room-temperature spintronic devices. More importantly, most of these systems display large bulk band gaps that far exceed 0.6 eV and, part of them even are up to ∼1 eV, which are larger than any IATIs ever reported. The nontrivial topological situation in these systems is confirmed by the identified band inversion of the band structures, Z₂ topological invariants, and an explicit demonstration of the topological edge states. Owning to their asymmetric structures, remarkable Rashba spin splitting is produced in both the valence and conduction bands of these systems. These predictions strongly revive these new systems as excellent candidates for IATI-based novel applications. ©2015 American Physical Society