Tunable and Sizable Band Gap of Single Layer Graphene Sandwiched between Hexagonal Boron Nitride

It is a big challenge to open a tunable and sizable band gap of single layer graphene without big loss in structural integrity and carrier mobility. By using density functional theory calculations, we show that the band gap of single layer graphene can be opened to 0.16 (without electrical field) and 0.34 eV (with a strong electrical field) when sandwiched between two hexagonal boron nitride single layers in a proper way. The zero-field band gaps are increased by about 50{\%} when many-body effects are included. Ab initio quantum transport simulation of a dual-gated FET out of such a sandwich structure further confirms an electrical field-enhanced transport gap. The tunable and sizeable band gap and structural integrity render this sandwich structure a promising candidate for high-performance single layer graphene field effect transistors.