Tunable High Spin Chern-Number Insulator Phases in Strained Sb Monolayer

Abstract: High spin Chern-number insulators (HSCI) have emerged as a novel 2D topological phase of condensed matter that is beyond the classification of topological quantum chemistry. In this work, we report the observation of a semimetallic Sb monolayer carrying the same band topology as HSCI with a spin Chern number equal to 2. Our calculations further indicate a moderate lattice strain can make Sb monolayer an insulator or a semimetal with a tunable spin Chern number from 0 to 3. The results suggest strained Sb monolayers as a promising platform for exploring exotic properties of the HSCI topological matter.