More and more attractive applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials in nanoelectronic devices are being achieved successfully, which promotes the rapid and extensive development of new 2D materials. In this work, the structural and electronic properties of the V structure aluminum phosphide (V-AlP) monolayer are examined by density functional calculations, and its electronic properties under strain and an electric field are also explored in detail. The computation results indicate that it has good stability. Interestingly, it possesses a wide direct gap (2.6 eV), and its band gap exhibits a rich behavior depending on the strain, E-field and layer stacking. Under biaxial strain, its band gap can be tuned from 1 eV to 2.6 eV. And a direct-indirect band gap transition is found when external tension is applied. The V-AlP monolayer also exhibits anisotropic behavior as its band structure variation trends under strains along different directions are obviously different. When the external E-field is changed from 0.5 V Å⁻¹ to 1 V Å⁻¹, the band gap of the V-AlP monolayer can be tuned linearly from 0 eV to 2.6 eV. Layer stacking narrows the band gap of the 2D V-AlP material. It is concluded that strain, E-field and layer stacking can all be used effectively to modify the electronic property of the V-AlP monolayer. Thus, these results indicate that the V-AlP monolayer will have promising applications in nanoelectric devices.

We explored exceptional points (EPs) in one dimensional non-Hermitian photonic crystals incorporated with a defect. The defect was asymmetric with respect to the center. Two EPs could be derived by modulating the normalized frequency and the gain-loss coefficient of defect. The reflection coefficient complex phase changed dramatically around EPs, and the change in complex phase was π at EPs. The electric field of EPs was mainly restricted to the defect, which can induce a giant Goos–Hänchen (GH) shift. Moreover, we found a coherent perfect absorption-laser point (CPA-LP) in the structure. A giant GH shift also existed around the CPA-LP. The study may have found applications in highly sensitive sensors.

Complex anti-parity-time symmetric periodic lattices, in a wide frequency band, can act as unidirectional invisible media. The reflection from one end is suppressed while it is enhanced from the other. Furthermore, unidirectional laser points (ULPs) which correspond to the poles of reflection from one end, arise in the parameter space composed of the permittivity and angular frequency. The phase of the reflection coefficient changes sharply near the ULPs. Subsequently, large lateral shift which is proportional to the slope of phase could be induced for the reflected beam. The study may find great applications in unidirectional invisibility, unidirectional lasers and highly sensitive sensors.