Effect of defects on the electronic structure of a PbI2/MoS2 van der Waals heterostructure: A first-principles study

PbI2/MoS2,as a typical van der Waals(vdW)heterostructure,has attracted intensive attention owing to its remarkable electronic and optoelectronic properties.In this work,the effect of defects on the electronic structures of a PbI2/MoS2 heterointerface has been systematically investigated.The manner in which the defects modulate the band structure of PbI2/MoS2,including the band gap,band edge,band alignment,and defect energy-level density within the band gap is discussed herein.It is shown that sulfur defects tune the band gaps,iodine defects shift the positions of the band edge and Fermi level,and lead defects realize the conversions between the straddling-gap band alignment and valence-band-aligned gap,thus enhancing the light-absorption ability of the material.     

A deterministic solver for the transport of the AlGaN/GaN 2D electron gas including hot-phonon and degeneracy effects

The transport of the two-dimensional electron gas formed at an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure in the presence of strain polarization fields is investigated. For this purpose, we develop a deterministic multigroup model to the Boltzmann transport equations. The envelope wave functions for the confined electrons are calculated using a self-consistent Poisson–Schrödinger solver. The electron gas degeneracy and hot phonons are included in our transport equations. Numerical results are given for the dependence of macroscopic quantities on the electric field strength and on time and for the electron and phonon distribution functions. We compare our results to those of Monte Carlo simulations and with experiments.     

Co3O4 Hollow Nanoparticles and Co Organic Complexes Highly Dispersed on N‐Doped Graphene: An Efficient Cathode Catalyst for Li‐O2 Batteries

Rechargeable Li‐O₂ batteries are promising candidates for electric vehicles due to their high energy density. However, the current development of Li‐O₂ batteries demands highly efficient air cathode catalysts for high capacity, good rate capability, and long cycle life. In this work, a hydrothermal‐calcination method is presented to prepare a composite of Co₃O₄ hollow nanoparticles and Co organic complexes highly dispersed on N‐doped graphene (Co–NG), which acts as a bifunctional air cathode catalyst to optimize the electrochemical performances of Li‐O₂ batteries. Co–NG exhibits an outstanding initial discharge capacity up to 19 133 mAh g^?1 at a current density of 200 mA g^?1. In addition, the batteries could sustain 71 cycles at a cutoff capacity of 1000 mAh g^?1 with low overpotentials at the current density of 200 mA g^?1. Co–NG composites are attractive as air cathode catalysts for rechargeable Li‐O₂ batteries.     

First-principles study of two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructure based on ZnO and Mg(OH)2: A potential photocatalyst for water splitting

In this study, the structural, electronic and optical properties of the two-dimensional heterostructure based on ZnO and Mg(OH)₂ are investigated by first-principle calculations. The ZnO/Mg(OH)₂ heterostructure, formed by van der Waals (vdW) interaction, possesses a type-II band structure, which can separate the photogenerated electron–holes constantly. The heterostructure has decent band edge positions for the redox reaction to decompose the water at pH 0 and 7. As for the interfacial properties of the heterostructure, the trend of band bending of the ZnO and Mg(OH)₂ layers in the heterostructure is addressed, which will result a built-in electric field. Besides, the charge-density difference and potential drop across the interface of the ZnO/Mg(OH)₂ vdW heterostructure are also calculated. Finally, the heterostructure is demonstrated that it not only has excellent ability to capture the light near the visible spectrum region, but also can improve the optical performance for the monolayered ZnO and Mg(OH)₂.     

Oxygen vacancy in LiTiPO5 and LiTi2(PO4)3: A first-principles study

The structures of LiTiPO₅ and LiTi₂(PO₄)₃, as well as the possibility of oxygen vacancies formation in the systems are studied by first-principles calculations. It is found that oxygen vacancies can be formed in LiTiPO₅ and LiTi₂(PO₄)₃ under oxygen poor condition. The formation of oxygen vacancies introduce a defect band within their band gaps, which is expected to improve the electronic conductivity of LiTiPO₅ and LiTi₂(PO₄)₃ significantly. Meanwhile, a great concentration of oxygen vacancies may increase the discharge voltage of LiTiPO₅ and LiTi₂(PO₄)₃.