First-principles study on structural,electronic and ferroelectric properties of Bi2VO5.5 compound

A first-principles investigation of the origin of ferroelectricity in the Aurivillius compound Bi₂VO_5.5 is presented. Calculations with the density functional theory, in conjunction with the modern theory of polarization, allowed us to study the structural, electronic, and polar properties of two configurations built with oxygen vacancies, causing a charge imbalance and a subsequent displacement of the ions, generating two maximum polarizations, one of 14.75 μC/cm² and one of 4.31 μC/cm² along [011] direction. Electron localization function schemes were used to identify the asymmetry of charges in (001), (010) and (100) planes. The results obtained in this study establish that the origin of ferroelectricity is due to the displacement of the ions caused by oxygen vacancies and the asymmetric distribution of the isolated pair of Bi ions. On the other hand, the bandgap calculations and the results of P_s establish that Bi₂VO_5.5 is a candidate ferro-photovoltaic material.     

Phase stability and temperature effect in ScX (X=S,Se and Te) compounds

Based on first-principles calculations, the structural stability and temperature effect in ScX (X=S, Se and Te) compounds are studied with three typical structures of B1 (NaCl-type), hcp (NiAs-type) and β-hcp (inverse Li₂O₂-type). Their dynamic stability has been verified using phonon mode analysis and molecular dynamics simulations. From the total energy calculations, we find that the most stable ground state structures are B1 for ScS, and hcp for ScSe and ScTe, respectively. Moreover, structural stabilities at finite temperature are studied with the combination of phonon dependent dynamics analysis and first-principles calculations, which reveals a phase transition from hcp to B1 in ScSe around 230 K and a phase transition from hcp to β-hcp in ScTe around 460 K, in accordance with experimental findings. The energy barrier and pathway along the phase transformation from hcp to β-hcp ScTe are also calculated and analyzed by the solid-state nudged elastic band method.     

Strain and electric-field induced tunable electronic properties of blue phosphorus-GeS/SnS/SnSe (orthorhombic) vdW heterostructures

In this work, we composite blue phosphorous (blueP) and monolayer GeS/SnS/SnSe through van der Waals (vdW) force interaction. It is found that blueP-GeS/SnS heterostructures are stable and form type-II band alignments, which can effectively promote the separation of photoinduced carriers. We perform a systematic theoretical study of interlayer coupling effects and band realignment of blueP-GeS/SnS/SnSe heterostructures after the strain and electric-field are imposed. BlueP and GeS/SnS/SnSe are twisted with different angles, and the theoretical framework of bands alignment and carriers' separation are established. The results show that the electronic properties of independent blueP and GeS/SnS/SnSe can be roughly maintained. When strain is applied, the band alignment shows significant adjustability by changing the external strain. Besides, the blueP-SnSe heterostructure show type-II characteristic in the range from -0.25 V/Å to -0.1 V/Å. Our theoretical calculation proves that strain and electric field engineering are two useful methods to design novel electronic devices.     

Effects of hydroxyl groups and hydrogen passivation on the structure,electrical and optical properties of silicon carbide nanowires

The effects of hydrogen and hydroxyl passivation on the structure, electrical and optical properties of SiCNWs were investigated. The passivation performance of different atoms (groups) were discussed by analyzing the distribution of electronic states and the polarity of chemical bonds. The results show that passivation can improve the stability of SiCNWs structure, and the effect of hydroxyl is better than hydrogen passivation. And hydrogen and hydroxyl passivation both increase the band gap of SiCNWs, and the changing trend of band gap is relevant to the polarity of the covalent bond formed by the passivation of surface atoms. Moreover, passivation enhances the stability of the optical properties of SiCNWs, resulting in narrowing of light absorption, photoconductivity and other spectra, and the response peak shifts to the deep ultraviolet region, which means that hydrogen or hydroxyl passivation of SiCNWs is likely to be a candidate material for deep ultraviolet micro-nano optoelectronic devices.     

Superhard monoclinic BN allotrope in M-carbon structure

Superhard materials have always attracted people's interesting due to their extensive industrial applications. In this work, two reasonable superhard monoclinic allotropes of boron nitrides with space group of Cm have been designed based on previously proposed M-carbon structure using first-principles calculations. Our results show that Cm-BN-1 and Cm-BN-2 are dynamically stable, and they are direct semiconductors with bandgap of 2.69 and 3.90 eV, respectively. Moreover, they could be potential superhard materials with Vickers hardness of 58.0 and 60.4 GPa, respectively. This work provides insights for exploring new superhard boron nitrides materials.     

Theoretical insights into the mechanism of photocatalytic reduction of CO2 over semiconductor catalysts

Photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ is one important approach to alleviate greenhouse gas emission and energy crisis, which has gained huge attention in the past decades. However, the lack of understanding complex reaction mechanism impedes new catalysts design. It is also very difficult to understand the mechanism by using only experimental approaches. For this concern, theoretical calculations can effectively supplement the experimental deficiency and thus play an important role. Recently theoretical calculations have been performed on adsorption, migration and reduction of CO₂ molecule on the photocatalyst surface, leading to useful information that have contributed greatly to this field. This review summarizes recent advances in first-principles calculations about CO₂ photoreduction over various semiconductor photocatalysts like metal oxides, sulfides and g-C₃N₄. The methods, models, adsorption and reaction pathways have been discussed in detail. The perspective about future investigation on the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ using first principles calculations is also presented.     

全无机卤化铅钙钛矿的结构、热力学稳定性和电子性质

有机-无机杂化卤化铅钙钛矿因具有独特的电子和光学特性,已经成为光电领域最有前途的材料。但是,有机-无机钙钛矿材料及器件稳定性差,限制了其实际应用。与杂化钙钛矿相比,全无机卤化物钙钛矿CsPbX₃(X=Cl,Br,I)显示出更强的热稳定性。全无机卤化物钙钛矿CsPbX₃具有多个晶型,在不同的温度下呈不同相结构。目前,关于CsPbX₃的结构和物理性质仍存在争议。本文我们针对三个晶相α-,β-和γ-CsPbX₃的结构,热力学稳定性和电子性质进行了全面的理论研究。第一性原理计算表明,从高温α相到低温β相,然后再到γ相的相变伴随着PbX₆八面体的畸变。零温形成能计算表明,γ相最稳定,这与实验中γ相为低温稳定相的结论一致。电子性质计算表明,所有CsPbX₃钙钛矿都表现出直接带隙性质,并且带隙值从α相到β相再到γ相逐渐增加。这是由于相变发生时,Pb-X成键强度逐渐减弱,使价带顶能量降低,进而带隙增加。在所有相中,α相结构中较强的Pb-X相互作用,导致了较强的带边色散,使其具有较小的载流子有效质量。     

Two-dimensional MgSiP_2 with anisotropic electronic properties and good performances for Na-ion batteries

Using the global particle-swarm optimization method and density functional theory,we predict a new stable two-dimensional layered material:MgSiP_2 with a low-buckled honeycomb lattice.Our HSE06 calculation shows that MgSiP_2 is an indirect-gap semiconductor with a band-gap of 1.20 eV,closed to that of bulk silicon.More remarkably,MgSiP2 exhibits worthwhile anisotropy along with electron and hole carrier mobility.A ultrahigh electron mobility is even up to 1.29 × 104 cm~2 V ~1 s ~1.while the hole mobility is nearly zero along the a direction.The large difference of the mobility between electron and hole together with the suitable band-gap suggest that MgSiP_2 may be a good candidate for solar cell or photochemical catalysis material.Furthermore,we explore MgSiP2 as an anode for sodium-ion batte ries.Upon Na adsorption,the semiconducting MgSiP2 transforms to a metallic state,ensuring good electrical conductivity.A maximum theoretical capacity of 1406 mAh/g,a small volume change(within 9.5%),a small diffusion barrier(～0.16 eV) and low average open-circuit voltages(～0.15 V) were found fo r MgSiP2 as an anode for sodium-ion batteries.These results are helpful to deepen the understanding of MgSiP2 as a nanoelectronic device and a potential anode for Na-ion batteries.     

Role of MXene surface terminations in electrochemical energy storage: A review

MXenes are a group of recently discovered 2D materials and have attracted extensive attention since their first report in 2011; they have shown excellent prospects for energy storage applications owing to their unique layered microstructure and tunable electrical properties. One major feature of MXenes is their tailorable surface terminations (e.g., −F, −O, −OH). Numerous studies have indicated that the composition of the surface terminations can significantly impact the electrochemical properties of MXenes. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood, mainly because of the difficulties in quantitative analysis and characterization. This review summarizes the latest research progress on MXene terminations. First, a systematic introduction to the approaches for preparing MXenes is presented, which generally dominates the surface terminations. Then, theoretical and experimental efforts regarding the surface terminations are discussed, and the influence of surface terminations on the electronic and electrochemical properties of MXenes are generalized. Finally, we present the significance and research prospects of MXene terminations. We expect this review to encourage research on MXenes and provide guidance for usingthese materials for batteries and supercapacitors.     

Prediction of stable BC3N2 monolayer from first-principles calculations: Stoichiometry,crystal structure,electronic and adsorption properties

In this paper, a novel BC₃N₂ monolayer has been found with a graphene-like structure using the developed particle swarm optimization algorithm in combination with ab initio calculations. The predicted structure meets the thermodynamical, dynamical, and mechanical stability requirements. Interestingly, the BC₃N₂ plane shows a metallic character. Importantly, BC₃N₂ has an in-plane stiffness comparable to that of graphene. We have also investigated the adsorption characteristics of CO₂ on pristine monolayer and Mo functionalized monolayer using density functional theory. Subsequently, electronic structures of the interacting systems (CO₂ molecule and substrates) have been preliminarily explored. The results show that Mo/BC₃N₂ has a stronger adsorption capacity towards CO₂ comparing with the pristine one, which can provide a reference for the further study of the CO₂ reduction mechanism on the transition metal-functionalized surface as well as the new catalyst’s design.