We investigate the possibility of band structure engineering in the recently predicted 2D layered form of blue phosphorus via an electric field (Ez) applied perpendicular to the layer(s). Using density functional theory, we study the effect of a transverse electric field in monolayer, as well as three differently stacked bilayer structures of blue phosphorus. We find that, for Ez > 0.2 V/Å the direct energy gap at the Γ point, which is much larger than the default indirect band gap of mono-and bilayer blue phosphorus, decreases linearly with the increasing electric field; becomes comparable to the default indirect band gap at Ez ≈ 0.45 (0.35) V/Å for monolayer (bilayers) and decreases further until the semiconductor to metal transition of 2D blue phosphorus takes place at Ez ≈ 0.7 (0.5) V/Å for monolayer (bilayers). Calculated values of the electron and hole effective masses along various high symmetry directions in the reciprocal lattice suggests that the mobility of charge carriers is also influenced by the applied electric field.

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Novel magnetic topological materials pave the way for studying the interplay between band topology and magnetism. However, an intrinsically ferromagnetic topological material with only topological bands at the charge neutrality energy has so far remained elusive. Using rational design, we synthesized MnBi8Te13, a natural heterostructure with [MnBi2Te4] and [Bi2Te3] layers. Thermodynamic, transport, and neutron diffraction measurements show that despite the adjacent [MnBi2Te4] being 44.1 Å apart, MnBi8Te13 manifests long-range ferromagnetism below 10.5 K with strong coupling between magnetism and charge carriers. First-principles calculations and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements reveal it is an axion insulator with sizable surface hybridization gaps. Our calculations further demonstrate the hybridization gap persists in the two-dimensional limit with a nontrivial Chern number. Therefore, as an intrinsic ferromagnetic axion insulator with clean low-energy band structures, MnBi8Te13 serves as an ideal system to investigate rich emergent phenomena, including the quantized anomalous Hall effect and quantized magnetoelectric effect.