Prediction of high-temperature quantum anomalous Hall effect in two-dimensional transition-metal oxides

Quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator is a topological phase which exhibits chiral edge states in the absence of magnetic field. The celebrated Haldane model is the first example of QAH effect (QAHE), but it is difficult to realize. Here, we predict the two-dimensional (2D) single-atomic-layer V₂O₃ with a honeycomb-Kagome structure is a QAH insulator with a large band gap (larger than 0.1 eV) and a high ferromagnetic Curie temperature (about 900 K). Combining the first principles calculations with the effective Hamiltonian analysis, we find that the spin-majority d_{x y} and d_{y z} orbitals of V atoms on the honeycomb lattice form a massless Dirac cone near the Fermi level which becomes massive when the on-site spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is included. Interestingly, we find that the large band gap is caused by a cooperative effect of electron correlation and SOC. Both first principles calculations and the effective Hamiltonian analysis confirm that 2D V₂O₃ has a nonzero Chern number (i.e., one). This paper paves a direction toward realizing the QAHE at room temperature.