Multiple topological phase transitions in double-bridged polyacene polymers: parametrized stacked Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model
Phys. Rev. B 112, 045130 – Published 17 July, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/x7mg-wvxx
Abstract
Polyacene polymers are promising organic one-dimensional materials for optoelectronic and energy-conversion applications that can host nontrivial topologically insulating phases, without the need of spin-orbit coupling. In this work, by using ab initio methods, we show that in its multibridged configuration, it is possible to tune their topological phase by varying the bridges' number and relative position. Moreover, we show that these multibridged polymers can be described by a stacked Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model, where interchain hoppings and next-nearest-neighbor interactions play a crucial role in stabilizing a multitude of nontrivial topologically insulating phases. The generality of this model is such that it can be used to describe any couple of interacting SSH chains.
