Twist-tunable spin control in twisted bilayer bismuthene

Abstract

Twisted bilayer structures have emerged as a fascinating arena in condensed matter thanks to their highly tunable physics. The role of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in twisted bilayers has gained increasing attention due to its potential for spintronics. Thus, it is appealing to propose new materials for constructing twisted bilayers with substantial SOC. In this work, the intriguing effects induced by twisting two layers of two-dimensional bismuthene are unraveled from large-scale first-principles calculations. We show that spin-orbit coupling significantly affects the electronic properties of twisted bilayer bismuthene, even more than in its untwisted counterpart. We carefully investigate how the interplay between the spin-orbit coupling and the twist angle impacts the band structure and spin textures of twisted bilayer bismuthene. We find that the twist angle can be deemed a control knob to switch from a small-gap semiconductor to a metallic behavior. Most crucially, the accurate analysis of the energy bands close to Fermi energy reveals a twist-tunable splitting in the mexican-hat shape of the bands that can otherwise be obtained only by applying enormous electric fields. Our predictions provide insight into innovative bismuth-based technologies for future spintronic devices.