Electronic and magnetic behaviors of graphene with 5d series transition metal atom substitutions: A first-principles study

The electronic structures and magnetic behaviors of graphene with 5d series transition metal atom substitutions are investigated by performing first-principles calculations. All the impurities are tightly bonded to single vacancy in a graphene sheet. The substitutions of La and Ta lead to Fermi level shifting to valence and conduction band, respectively. Both the two substitutions result in metallic properties. Moreover, the Hf, Os and Pt-substituted systems exhibit semiconductor properties, while the Re and Ir-substituted ones exhibit robust half-metallic properties. Interestingly, W-substituted system shows dilute magnetic semiconductor property. On the other hand, the substitution of Ta, W, Re and Ir induce 0.86 μ_B, 2 μ_B, 1 μ_B and 0.99 μ_B magnetic moment, respectively. Our studies demonstrate that the 5d series transition metal substituted graphene have potential applications in nanoelectronics, spintronics and magnetic storage devices.     

Y掺杂空位石墨烯对NO及CO气体表面吸附的第一性原理研究

摘　要：基于第一性原理的计算方法,建立了本征石墨烯、空位石墨烯及钇( Y)掺杂空位石墨烯模型,并计算了CO、NO在三类石墨烯表面的吸附过程. 从表面能、吸附结构、吸附能和态密度四个方面进行分析讨论,研究掺杂Y对CO、NO气体吸附性能的影响. 结果表明：CO、NO与本征石墨烯之间的吸附为弱的物理吸附,掺杂Y后增强了材料表面对CO、NO的吸附效果,最大吸附能分别为7.414eV、6.702eV,属于化学吸附;掺杂Y使空位石墨烯费米能级附近有了更多的活跃电子,其吸附NO后体系由半金属转变为金属特性,该特性能为开发更加优良的石墨烯气敏材料提供理论支持.     

B、N、S掺杂石墨烯表面质子吸附的第一性原理研究

表面吸附是石墨烯中质子(H~+)输运的基础步骤.本文基于第一性原理计算研究了B、N、S掺杂对石墨烯表面H~+吸附行为的影响.结果表明,B、N、S掺杂对石墨烯的晶体结构、内聚能及电子性质有重要影响,且影响程度与掺杂元素的性质密切相关,进而导致对石墨烯表面H~+吸附行为产生不同程度的影响.从吸附能的观点看,N、B、S掺杂对石墨烯表面H~+的吸附有利.研究结果对石墨烯在氢贮存、氢同位素分离、燃料电池等领域的应用具有重要的指导意义.     

Fe,Co,Ni掺杂石墨烯表面吸附C_2H_4的第一性原理研究

基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的广义梯度近似(GGA),本文对本征石墨烯以及掺杂Fe,Co,Ni石墨烯的几何结构和电子性质进行了优化计算,并计算了C_2H_4在本征石墨烯以及掺杂石墨烯表面的吸附过程,讨论了体系的吸附能、稳定性、DOS及掺杂对键长的影响.结果表明C_2H_4在本征石墨烯B位的吸附和掺杂石墨烯的吸附为化学吸附,在本征石墨烯T和H位的吸附为物理吸附;掺杂后石墨烯的比表面积增大,与本征石墨烯相比,掺杂使费米能级附近的态密度积分显著提高,表明掺杂石墨烯的电导性会发生变化,从而影响对C_2H_4的气敏度..C_2H_4在Fe、Co、Ni分别掺石墨烯的最佳吸附位为T位、H位和B位;掺杂Fe,Ni后体系的吸附能力显著提高,且掺杂Ni时体系的吸附能力最好.     

掺杂石墨烯吸附特性的第一性原理研究

利用第一性原理方法研究了一氧化碳分子在本征和硼、氮、铝、磷掺杂的有限尺寸石墨烯上的吸附机理.结果表明,石墨烯作为一氧化碳传感器时的性能依赖于掺杂元素.本征、硼和氮掺杂石墨烯吸附一氧化碳时的吸附能较低,为物理吸附.铝、磷掺杂石墨烯的吸附能显著提高,比本征、硼和氮掺杂时高出约一个数量级,且铝和磷原子从石墨烯中突出,使其发生局部弯曲.铝掺杂石墨烯增强了石墨烯与一氧化碳分子之间的相互作用,可以提高石墨烯的气敏性和吸附能力,是一氧化碳传感器的最佳候选材料之一.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of copper-family-element atom adsorbed graphene nanoribbons with zigzag edges

We have investigated the electronic and magnetic properties of copper-family-element (CFE) atom adsorbed graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with zigzag edges using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. We found that CFE atoms energetically prefer to be adsorbed at the edges of nanoribbons. Charges are transferred between the CFE atom and carbon atoms at the edge, which reduce the local magnetic moment of carbon atoms in the vicinity of adsorption site and change the electronic structure of GNRs. As a result, Cu adsorbed zigzag GNR is a semiconductor with energy band gap of 0.88 eV in beta-spin and energy gap of 0.22 eV in alpha-spin, while Ag adsorbed zigzag GNR and Au adsorbed zigzag GNR are both half-metallic with the energy gaps of 0.68 eV and 0.63 eV in beta-spin, respectively. These results show that CFE atom adsorbed zigzag GNRs can be applied in nanoelectronics and spintronics.     

Tunneling of Dirac fermions through magnetic barriers in graphene

We have studied the tunneling of Dirac fermions through magnetic barriers in graphene. Magnetic barriers are produced via delta function-like inhomogeneous magnetic fields in which Dirac fermions in graphene experience the tunneling barrier in the real sense in contrast to Klein paradox caused by electrostatic barriers. The transmission through the magnetic barriers as functions of incident energy and angle of incoming fermions shows characteristic oscillations associated with tunneling resonances. We have also found the confined states in the magnetic barrier region which turn out to correspond to the total internal reflection in the usual optics.     

Electronic and optical properties of vacancy and B,N, O and F doped graphene: DFT study

Structural and optical properties of graphene with a vacancy and B, N, O and F doped graphene have been investigated computationally using density functional theory (DFT). We find that B is a p-type while N, O and F doped graphene layers, as well as graphene with a vacancy are n-type semiconductors. Optical properties for both cases of in plane $\left(E\perp c\right)$ and out of plane $\left(E6c\right)$ polarization of light are investigated. It is observed that with the increase in the number of electrons entering the supercell, the amount of absorption of the system decreases and the absorption peaks are transferred to higher energies (blue shift).     

石墨烯纳米片电子结构和量子输运特性第一原理研究

用基于密度泛函理论的原子紧束缚方法计算研究单层石墨烯纳米圆片和纳米带的电子结构,并结合第一原理和非平衡函数法计算量子输运特性.通过电子能态和轨道密度分布研究纳米碳原子层的电子成键状态,结合电子透射谱、电导和电子势分布分析电子散射与输运机制.石墨烯纳米带和纳米圆片分别呈现金属和半导体的能带特征,片层边缘上电极化分别沿垂直和切向方向,电子电导出现较大的差异,来源于石墨烯纳米圆片边缘的突出碳原子环对电子的强散射.石墨烯纳米带的电子透射谱表现为近似台阶式变化并在费米能级处存在弹道电导峰,而石墨烯纳米圆片的电子能带和透射谱在费米能级处开口并且因量子限制作用呈现更加离散的多条高态密度窄能带和尖锐谱峰.     

Effect of non-metallic X(X=F,N, S) and Cr co-doping on properties of BiFeO3: A first-principles study

In this study, the structural, magnetic, electric and optical properties in X (X=F, N, S) and Cr co-doped BiFeO₃ (BFO) are calculated using the density functional theory. For Cr–X co-doping case, the structure of BFO undergo a phase transition from monoclinic to triclinic structure accompanying net magnetic moments of 5.92 μB, 6.04 μB and 7.80 μB, for Cr–F co-doping, Cr–N co-doping and Cr–S co-doping, respectively. The underlying physical mechanisms are the lattice distortions tunned by doping. The decreased Fe–O–Fe bond angles and Fe–O bond lengths will bring weak antiferromagnetism superexchange interaction. In addition, the band gaps of Cr–X co-doping cases are decreased from 2.20 eV (BFO bulk) to 1.31 eV and 1.80 eV for Cr–F co-doping and Cr–S co-doping, respectively, which are well for photovoltaic applications according to the well-known Shockley-Queisser criterion, suggesting a possible great improvement optical properties in Cr–X co-doped samples.     

A DFT study of formaldehyde adsorption on functionalized graphene nanoribbons

Density functional theory (DFT) based ab initio calculations were done to monitor the formaldehyde (CHOH) adsorptive behavior on pristine and Ni-decorated graphene sheet. Structural optimization indicates that the formaldehyde molecule is physisorbed on the pristine sheet via partly weak van der Waals attraction having the adsorption energy of about −15.7 kcal/mol. Metal decorated sheet is able to interact with the CHOH molecule, so that single Ni atoms prefer to bind strongly at the bridge site of graphene and each metal atom bound on sheet may adsorb up to four CHOH. The findings also show that the Ni decoration on graphene surface results in some changes in electronic properties of the sheet and its E_g is remained unchanged after adsorption of CHOH molecules. It is noteworthy to say that no bond cleavage was observed for the adsorption of CHOH on Ni-decorated graphene.     

Tailoring electronic and transport properties of edge-terminated armchair graphene by defect formation and N/B doping

First principle calculations based on Density Functional Theory and nonequilibrium Green's function methods were carried out on a p-n junction device made of armchair graphene nanoribbons (GNR), with B and N doping and with defects, to examine transport properties of these systems. Doping and defects were found to lower band gap compared to pristine GNR. N-doping leads to the smallest band gap and the highest current (17.18 μA at 0.9 V bias, −12.82 μA at −1 V bias). B-doping shows the least current. Extensive delocalisation in N-doped system suggests a strong coupling between p and n parts, making the system a high rectifying diode. Linear correspondence between transmission coefficient and projected density of states suggest robust negative differential resistance effect. Tuning of efficiency of such p-n junction by doping and defect suggests the design of suitable nanoelectronic devices in future.     

Structural,magnetic and electronic properties of single Iron atom at graphene edges

A systemic theoretical study of one iron atom on graphene ribbon edges (Fe/GR) has been carried out by using density functional theory. Thermodynamic stabilities, electronic and magnetic properties of Fe/GR with different edge types and adsorption locations were investigated. According to the Clar's aromatic sextet rule, the formation energies and density of states of Fe atom are found to rely tightly on the ribbon's periodic length. Moreover, Fe atoms on reconstructed zz edges are also stable with low formation energies and semiconducting properties. Finally, the magnetic properties are found sensitive with the structural details, especially the local bond environment. The present theoretical results constitute a useful picture for the deep comprehending on the interface details of the lateral Fe/graphene heterostructures.     

Enhanced gas-sensing performance of graphene by doping transition metal atoms: A first-principles study

By performing the first-principles calculations, we investigated the sensitivity and selectivity of transitional metal (TM, TMSc, Ti, V, Cr and Mn) atoms doped graphene toward NO molecule. We firstly calculated the atomic structures, electronic structures and magnetic properties of TM-doped graphene, then studied the adsorptions of NO, N₂ and O₂ molecules on the TM-doped graphene. By comparing the change of electrical conductivity and magnetic moments after the adsorption of these molecules, we found that the Sc-, Ti- and Mn-doped graphene are the potential candidates in the applications of gas sensor for detection NO molecule.     

Palladium atoms and its dimers adsorbed on graphene: First-principles study

In this work we have studied the stabilty, electronic and magnetic properties of Pd adatoms and dimers adsorbed on graphene system using first-principles calculations. The adsorption energies for Pd adatom and its dimer have been found to range from −0.986 to −1.135 eV and −0.165 to −1.101 eV, respectively, which signify stable configuration and future utilization of this system in catalysis. A shift but no separation of π and π^? bands at the Dirac point has been observed in case of Pd dimer adsorption in perpendicular configuration, which can be accounted for the breaking of symmetry of the graphene structure due to adsorption. 64-68% spin polarization P(E_F) and 1.944-1.990 μ_B magnetic moment have been observed for Pd dimers adsorbed on graphene in perpendicular configuration for different sites. The unequal values of partial density of states for 4d and 5s orbitals of Pd dimers at Fermi level have been found to be responsible for the generation of high spin polarization.     

Theoretical investigation of structures and energetics of sodium adatom and its dimer on graphene: DFT study

Extensive ab initio calculations have been performed to study the energetics of a sodium (Na) atom and its dimer adsorbed on graphene using the SIESTA package Soler et al. (2002) [1] which works within a DFT(density functional theory)–GGA (generalized gradient approximation) pseudopotential framework. The adsorption energy, geometry, charge transfer, ionization potential and density of states (DOS), partial density states (PDOS) of adatom/dimer-graphene system have been calculated. After considering various sites for adsorption of Na on graphene, the center of a hexagonal ring of carbon atoms is found to be the preferred site of adsorption while the Na₂ dimer prefers to rest parallel to the graphene sheet. We find insignificant energy differences among adsorption configurations involving different possible sites in parallel orientation, which implies high mobility of the dimer on the graphene sheet. We also notice only a slight distortion of the graphene sheet perpendicular to its plane upon adatom adsorption. However, some lateral displacements seen are more perceptible.     

Electronic structure tuning and band gap opening of graphene by hole/electron codoping

A pathway to open the band gap of graphene by p-n codoping is presented according to the first principles study. Two models are used: Lithium adsorbed on Boron-doped graphene (BG) and Boron-Nitrogen (B/N) codoping into graphene. The stability of Lithium adsorbed on BG is firstly analyzed, showing that the hollow site is the most stable configuration, and there is no energy barrier from some metastable configurations to a stable one. After the p-n codoping, the electronic structures of graphene are modulated to open a band gap with width from 0.0 eV to 0.49 eV, depending on the codoping configurations. The intrinsic physical mechanism responsible for the gap opening is the combination of the Boron atom acting as hole doping and Nitrogen (Lithium) as electron doping.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of hydrogenated graphene nanoflakes

We investigated the energetic stability, electronic, and magnetic properties of hydrogenated graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) by using density-functional theory (DFT). Hydrogenated GNFs were found to be the stable heterojunction structures. As the increase of H coverage, a transition of a small-gap semiconductor to wide-gap semiconductor occurs, accompanied with a nonmagnetic (with the coverage χ=0$\chi =0$) → magnetic (with the coverage 0<χ<1$0<\chi <1$) → nonmagnetic (with the coverage χ=1$\chi =1$) transfer for hexagonal nanoflakes and magnetic (with the coverage 0?χ<1$0?\chi <1$) → nonmagnetic (with the coverage χ=1$\chi =1$) transfer for triangular nanoflakes. The efficacious tune of band gaps and the magnetic moments on these nanoflakes by hydrogenation offers an effectual avenue for the applications of C-based nanomagnets.     

Vibrational properties and Raman spectra of different edge graphene nanoribbons,studied by first-principles calculations

The vibrational properties and Raman spectra of graphene nanoribbons with six different edges have been studied by using the first-principles calculations. It is found that edge reconstruction leads to the emergence of localized vibrational modes and new topological defect modes, making the different edges identified by polarized Raman spectra. The radial breathing-like modes are found to be independent of the edge structures, while the G-band-related modes are affected by different edge structures. Our results suggest that the polarized Raman spectrum could be a powerful experimental tool for distinguishing the GNRs with different edge structures due to their different vibrational properties.