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An innovative route to design 2D catalysts by using the concept of Dirac nodal loop semimetals was reported to boost the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Semimetallic two-dimensional (2D) Dirac materials beyond graphene, especially 2D materials with robust Dirac points against the spin-orbit coupling (SOC), are still highly sought. Herein, we theoretically demonstrate the InBi monolayer as a long-sought 2D Dirac material whose exotic Dirac Fermionic states cannot be gapped out by SOC. The InBi monolayer with the litharge crystal structure possesses not only 4-fold band degeneracy, linear energy dispersion, and ultrahigh Fermi velocity in the order of 10

Magnetic topological materials and their physical signatures are a focus of current research. Here, by first-principles calculations and symmetry analysis, we reveal topological semimetal states in an existing antiferromagnet ThMn2Si2. Depending on the N\'eel vector orientation, the topological band crossings near the Fermi level form either a double-nodal loop or two pairs of Dirac points,which are all fourfold degenerate and robust under spin-orbit coupling. These topological features produce large Berry connection polarizability, which leads to enhanced nonlinear transport effects. Particularly, we evaluate the third order current response, which dominates the transverse charge current. We show that the nonlinear response can be much more sensitive to topological phase transitions than linear response, which offers a powerful tool for characterizing magnetic topological semimetals., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides (TMCs) have captured immense interest for their fascinating physical and chemical properties. Among them, bare carbide MXenes exhibit a metallic feature, greatly limiting the potential applications in optoelectronic devices. Herein, based on the particle swarm optimization and first-principles calculations, we predicted the existence of two single layer (SL) TMCs, namely, tetragonal β-MC and hexagonal γ-MC (M = Ti, Zr, Hf). The two structures are more stable than previously reported α-MC and possess semimetal and semiconductor properties, respectively. We further reveal that the β-MC monolayers have two nodal loops around the Fermi level. SL γ-TiC, ZrC, and HfC have a bandgap of 1.59, 1.24, and 1.57 eV, respectively, and display strong light-harvesting ability in the visible light range. Our research expands the 2D TMCs family beyond the extensively existing MXenes and greatly enriches the carbon chemistry.

The combination of band topology with magnetic ordering provides an excellent platform to realize various magnetic topological phases. Based on first-principle calculations and symmetry analysis, we predict that two distinct topological phases can be switched in the ferromagnetic material EuAgP by tuning the direction of magnetic moment. In the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC), the material is half-metallic with only one spin-up channel around the Fermi level, giving rise to a pair of triple points (TPs) along C6 axis, protected by the point group symmetry. As the magnetic moment is oriented along the z direction (with SOC included), the emergent TP in the absence of SOC splits into two Weyl points (WPs), featuring the nontrivial Fermi arcs on the side surface; however, when the magnetic moment is rotated to the x direction, a tiny band gap (