Prediction of flatness-driven quantum spin Hall effect in functionalized germanene and stanene

Searching for realistic materials able to realize room-temperature quantum spin Hall (QSH) effects is currently a growing field, especially when compatibility with the current group-IV electronics industry is required. Here we predict, through first-principles calculations, a new class of QSH phases in flattened germanene and stanene functionalized with X atoms (f-GeX₂ and f-SnX₂; X = H, F, Cl, Br, I) with a bulk gap as large as 0.56 eV, that can be tuned efficiently under mechanical strain. More interestingly, different from the normal band order in buckled germanane and stanane, the structural flatness leads to an inverted band order without spin-orbit coupling (SOC), whereas the SOC only opens the band gap. We also find that the characteristics of edge states, such as the Fermi velocity, are enhanced greatly by edge modification. When these films are deposited on a BN substrate, a nontrivial QSH state is preserved with a Dirac cone lying within the nontrivial band gap. These findings provide a promising platform for future realistic applications of the QSH effect at room temperature in two-dimensional group-IV films.