Strain drived band aligment transition of the ferromagnetic VS_2/C_3N van der Waals heterostructure

Exploring two-dimensional (2D) magnetic heterostructures is essential for future spintronic and optoelectronic devices. Herein, using first-principle calculations, stable ferromagnetic ordering and colorful electronic properties are established by constructing the VS₂/C₃N van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure. Unlike the semiconductive properties with indirect band gaps in both the VS₂ and C₃N monolayers, our results indicate that a direct band gap with type-Ⅱ band alignment and p-doping characters are realized in the spin-up channel of the VS₂/C₃N heterostructure, and a typical type-Ⅲ band alignment with a broken-gap in the spin-down channel. Furthermore, the band alignments in the two spin channels can be effectively tuned by applying tensile strain. An interchangement between the type-Ⅱ and type-Ⅲ band alignments occurs in the two spin channels, as the tensile strain increases to 4%. The attractive magnetic properties and the unique band alignments could be useful for prospective applications in the next-generation tunneling devices and spintronic devices.