Jacutingaite-family: A class of topological materials

Jacutingate, a recently discovered Brazilian naturally occurring mineral, has been shown to be an experimental realization of the Kane-Mele topological model. In this paper we present a class of materials, M2NX3 (M=Ni, Pt, and Pd; N=Zn, Cd, and Hg; and X=S, Se, and Te), sharing jacutingaite's key features, i.e., high stability and a topological phase. By employing first-principles calculations we extensively characterize the energetic stability of this class while showing a common occurrence of the Kane-Mele topological phase. Here we present Pt-based materials surpassing jacutingaite's impressive topological gap and lower exfoliation barrier while retaining its stability.