Stable line defects in silicene

Abstract

Line defects in two-dimensional (2D) materials greatly modulate various properties of their pristine form. Using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, we investigate the structural reconstructions of different kinds of grain boundaries in the silicene sheets. It is evident that depending upon the presence of silicon adatoms and edge shape of grain boundaries (i.e., armchair or zigzag), stable extended line defects (ELDs) can be introduced in a controlled way. Further studies show the stability of these line-defects in silicene, grown on Ag(111) surface at room-temperature. Importantly, unlike most of the 2D sheet materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, 5-5-8 line defects modify the nonmagnetic semimetallic pristine silicene sheet to spin-polarized metal. As ferromagnetically ordered magnetic moments remain strongly localized at the line defect, a one-dimensional spin channel gets created in silicene. Interestingly, these spin channels are quite stable because, unlike the edge of nanoribbons, structural reconstruction or contamination cannot destroy the ordering of magnetic moments here. Zigzag silicene nanoribbons with a 5-5-8 line defect also exhibit various interesting electronic and magnetic properties depending upon their width as well as the nature of the magnetic coupling between edge and defect spin states. Upon incorporation of other ELDs, such as 4-4-4 and 4-8 defects, 2D sheets and nanoribbons of silicene show a nonmagnetic metallic or semiconducting ground state. Highlighting the controlled formation of ELDs and consequent emergence of technologically important properties in silicene, we propose new routes to realize silicene-based nanoelectronic and spintronic devices.