Ferroelectricity and Antiferroelectricity in Elemental Group-V Monolayer Materials

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity in stable two-dimensional elemental Group-V monolayers, with potential for ultrathin ferroelectric devices due to high Curie temperatures.

Contribution

It is the first demonstration of spontaneous electrical polarization in elemental 2D materials, expanding ferroelectricity beyond compound materials.

Findings

Ferroelectricity observed in As, Sb, and Bi monolayers.

Bi monolayer exhibits both ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases.

Curie temperatures are above room temperature.

Abstract

Ferroelectricity is usually found in compound materials composed by different elements. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we reveal the first example of spontaneous electrical polarization and ferroelectricity in stable two-dimensional elemental materials: elemental Group-V (As, Sb, and Bi) monolayers. The polarization is due to the spontaneous lattice distortion with atomic layer buckling. Interestingly, for Bi monolayer, apart from the ferroelectric phase, we find that it can also host an antiferroelectric phase. The Curie temperatures of these elemental materials can be higher than room temperature, making them promising for realizing ultrathin ferroelectric devices of broad interest.