Unconventional gapless semiconductor in an extended martini lattice in covalent honeycomb materials

Abstract

We study characteristic electronic structures in an extended martini lattice model and propose its materialization in $\pi$-electron networks constructed by designated chemisorption on graphene and silicene. By investigating the minimal tight-binding model, we reveal rich electronic structures tuned by the ratio of hopping parameters, ranging from the band insulator to the unconventional gapless semiconductor. Remarkably, the unconventional gapless semiconductor is characterized by a flat band at the Fermi level. Further, the density functional theory calculations for candidate materials reveal that the characteristic electronic structures can be realized by designated chemisorption or chemical substitution on graphene and silicene, and that the electronic structure near the Fermi level is tunable by the choice of the atomic species of adsorbed atoms. Our results open the way to search exotic electronic structures and their functionalities induced by an extended martini lattice.