We show that a one-dimensional lattice of spinless fermions can undergo a topological phase transition only due to the effect of interaction. By allowing a dimerized interaction among the particles we show that the system exhibits a symmetry protected topological phase which does not exist in the absence of interaction and the system is a gapless state. The nontrivial topological character appears due to the onset of two degenerate bond-order phases as a function of dimerized interaction which are found to be topologically distinct from each other. As a result a topological phase transition occurs between these bond-order phases through a gap closing point. However, in the limit of strong interaction, the topologically distinct bond-order phases are separated from each other through a gapped charge density wave phase possessing a local antiferromagnetic order. We characterize this emergent topological nature by the edge states, Berry phase, and a nonlocal string order parameter and provide possible experimental signatures in terms of Thouless charge pumping and density-density correlation.

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• Quantum phase transitions
• Topological order
• 1-dimensional systems
• Density matrix renormalization group