Strain engineering band gap, effective mass and anisotropic Dirac-like cone in monolayer arsenene

The electronic properties of two-dimensional puckered arsenene have been investigated using first-principles calculations. The effective mass of electrons exhibits highly anisotropic dispersion in intrinsic puckered arsenene. Futhermore, we find that out-of-plane strain is effective in tuning the band gap, as the material undergoes the transition into a metal from an indirect gap semiconductor. Remarkably, we observe the emergence of Dirac-like cone with in-plane strain. Strain modulates not only the band gap of monolayer arsenene, but also the effective mass. Our results present possibilities for engineering the electronic properties of two-dimensional puckered arsenene and pave a way for tuning carrier mobility of future electronic devices.