Prediction of quantum anomalous Hall effect on graphene nanomesh
Abstract
A quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) has been realized in the Cr-doped magnetic topological insulator at an extremely low temperature (∼30 mK). From first-principles, we predict that QAHE can also be achieved in a well-designed graphene nanomesh without the requirement of transition metal doping. The ferromagnetic ordering arises mainly from the in-plane pxy orbitals, leading to a Curie temperature of 830 K. The bulk band gap due to the intrinsic spin–orbital coupling (SOC) of the pxy orbitals is about 3.7 meV, corresponding to an operating temperature of 43 K. This work reveals a viable approach for realizing QAHE in metal-free graphene nanostructures.