Design monolayer iodinenes based on halogen bond and tiling theory

Xenes, two-dimensional (2D) monolayers composed of a single element, with graphene as a typical representative, have attracted widespread attention. Most of the previous Xenes, X from group-IIIA to group-VIA elements, have bonding characteristics of covalent bonds. In this paper, we unveil the pivotal role of a halogen bond, which is a distinctive type of bonding with interaction strength between that of a covalent bond and a van der Waals interaction, in 2D group-VIIA monolayers. Combing the ingenious non-edge-to-edge tiling theory and state-of-the-art ab initio method with refined local density functional M06-L, we provide a precise and effective bottom-up construction of 2D iodine monolayer sheets, iodinenes, primarily governed by halogen bonds, and successfully design a category of stable iodinenes encompassing herringbone, Pythagorean, gyrated truncated hexagonal, i.e., diatomic kagome, and gyrated hexagonal tiling patterns. These iodinene structures exhibit a wealth of properties, such as nontrivial topology, flat bands and fascinating optical characteristics, offering valuable insights and guidance for future experimental investigations. Our paper not only unveils the unexplored halogen bonding mechanism in 2D materials but also opens an avenue for designing other noncovalent bonding 2D materials.