Two-Dimensional Topological Ferroelectric Metal with Giant Shift Current
Liu Yang, Lei Li, Zhi‐Ming Yu, Menghao Wu, Yugui Yao
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.