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Active catalysts for nitrogen fixation (N2-fixation) have been widely pursued through constant efforts for industrial applications. Here, we report a family of catalysts, MXenes (M2X: M = Mo, Ta, Ti, and W; X = C and N), for application in N2-fixation based on density functional theory calculations. We find that the catalytic performance of MXenes strongly depends on the reaction energy in each reaction step. More exothermic steps lead to higher catalytic performance in the course of N2-fixation. We show that the reaction energy in N2-fixation is strongly affected by the charge transfer: (1) if N atoms gain more electrons in a step, the reaction is exothermic with a larger reaction energy; (2) if N atoms lose electrons in a step, the reaction is endothermic in general. We further show that Mo2C and W2C are highly active for N2-fixation due to their exothermic reactions and strong charge transfer, which may be applicable in the chemical-engineering industry.

Two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have received increasing interest because of their unique properties for versatile applications. In this work, we present a first-principles study on a new family of 2D nanostructures, Janus transition metal chalcogenide MSX (M = Ti or V; and X = C, N, Si, or P) monolayers, for their multifunctional applications. In this work, we show that the Janus MSXs possess diverse electronic and magnetic properties, and can be semiconducting or metallic, and nonmagnetic or magnetic, depending on their composition. We find that a TiSC monolayer with a 1H phase (TiSC-1H) is suitable as a cathode for Li ion batteries and anode materials for Na and Mg ion batteries due to its high open circuit voltage (OCV) (2.121 eV) for Li, and low OCVs upon Na (0.676 eV) and Mg (1.044 eV) intercalation, respectively. Importantly, TiSC-1H shows fast charge/discharge rates, good cycling stability, and high storage density as electrode materials for rechargeable batteries because of low ion diffusion barriers, small volume expansion and high specific capacity. We further show that TiSP-1H has the best performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction due to both its catalytic activities on the surfaces and relatively low overpotentials upon hydrogenation. Our study demonstrates that the 2D Janus MSXs may find multifunctional applications in nanodevices, spintronics, catalysis, and electrochemical energy storage.

Spin-tunable materials are very appealing for applications in multifunctional spintronics devices because of their ability to switch between different spin states with external stimuli such as strain, light or electric-field, etc. As a promising material for spintronics, transition-metal-nitrogen-carbon (TM-N-C) materials have achieved considerable attentions. Based on density functional calculations, we systematically investigate the magnetic properties of four-nitrogen coordinated transition-metal embedded graphene (TMN4-G, TM = all 3d-elements). The embedded configurations of TMN4-G show rich tunable spin states by external strains, exhibiting two kinds of spin-state transitions: 1) Spin crossover between low- to high-spin states (TMN4-G, TM = Mn, Fe and Co); 2) Spin polarization turned up or turned off in nonmagnetic systems (ScN4-G and NiN4-G) or in magnetic CuN4-G, respectively. The spin-state transitions occur abruptly for systems with magnetic TM elements, while continuously for those with nonmagnetic elements. The origin of the spin-state transitions is explored and found related with the TM valance electrons and charge transferred. Our findings could open an avenue for the efficient tuning of spin and magnetism in graphene based TMN4 structures for application in spintronics.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with tunable electronic and magnetic properties are promising for their versatile applications in multifunctional devices. In this work, we present a first-principles study on the electronic and magnetic transitions of 2D Ti2NO2 monolayer achieved by applying tension. We show that 2D Ti2NO2 experiences a transition from ferromagnetic half-metal to antiferromagnetic semiconductor as tension increases up to a certain level. We find that charge redistribution occurs with the extension of bond length due to the suppressed crystal field splitting. We further show that the charge transfer between eg and t2g orbitals gives rise to the shift of the energy levels and opens a gap near the Fermi level, resulting in the electronic transition. The semiconducting nature favors the superexchange coupling, leading to the magnetic transition from the ferromagnetic state to the antiferromagnetic state. We expect that the 2D Ti2NO2 monolayer with tunable electronic and magnetic properties ...

Charge transfer is of particular importance in manipulating the interface physics in transition-metal oxide heterostructures. In this work, we have fabricated epitaxial bilayers composed of polar 3d LaMnO

Computational tools based on density-functional theory (DFT) enable the exploration of the qualitatively new, experimentally attainable nanoscale compounds for a targeted application. Theoretical simulations provide a profound understanding of the intrinsic electronic properties of functional materials. The goal of this protocol is to search for photocatalyst candidates by computational dissection. Photocatalytic applications require suitable band gaps, appropriate band edge positions relative to the redox potentials. Hybrid functionals can provide accurate values of these properties but are computationally expensive, whereas the results at the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional level could be effective for suggesting strategies for band structure engineering via electric field and tensile strain aiming to enhance the photocatalytic performance. To illustrate this, in the present manuscript, the DFT based simulation tool VASP is used to investigate the band alignment of nanocomposites in combinations of nanotubes and nanoribbons in the ground state. To address the lifetime of photogenerated holes and electrons in the excited state, nonadiabatic dynamics calculations are needed.

Discovering highly in-plane anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with multiple superior properties (good stability, widely tunable bandgap and high mobility) are of great interest for fundamental studies and for developments of novel (opto)electronic devices. By means of state-of-the-art first-principles calculations, herein we present a thorough investigation on the stability, electronic properties and promising applications of previously unexplored 2D semiconductors-gold-selenium (β-AuSe) with strong in-plane anisotropy, whose layered bulk counterpart was synthesized fifty years ago. We show that they have stable structures, widely tunable bandgap varying from 1.66 eV in monolayer to 0.70 eV in five-layer, strong light absorption coefficient (~105 cm-1) within the whole visible light range, and high/ultrahigh carrier mobility (103-105 cm2 V -1 s -1). More importantly, they show highly in-pane anisotropic behaviors in absorption coefficients, photoconductance and carrier mobility. Especially, the anisotropic ratio of carrier mobility is much higher than the literature reported ones. The above findings show that the in-plane anisotropic 2D β-AuSe are promising candidates for developing polarization-sensitive photodetectors, synaptic devices and micro digital inverters based on multiple superior properties and highly anisotropic behaviors. Besides, few-layer β-AuSe systems can serve as channel materials in field-effect transistors with high mobility or be applied in solar cells with strong light absorption. Our findings demonstrate that few-layer 2D β-AuSe have great potential for multifunctional applications and thus stimulate immediately experimental interests.

Based on first-principles calculations and k .p effective models, we report physical properties of ferroelectric-like hexagonal polar metals with P63mc symmetry, which are distinct from those of conventional metals with spatial inversion symmetry. Spin textures exist on the Fermi surface of polar metals (e.g. ternary LiGaGe and elemental polar metal of Bi) and spin-momentum locking exist on accidental Dirac cones on the sixfold rotational axis, due to the spin-orbit coupling and lack of inversion symmetry in polar space group. This effect has potential applications in spin-orbitronics. Dirac points are also predicted in LiGaGe., 14 pages, 8 figures

Developing highly efficient FeF

2D materials have been interesting for applications into nanodevices due to their intriguing physical properties. In this work, four types of unique structures are designed that are composed of MXenes and C/N-Si layers (CNSi), where MXene is sandwiched by the CNSi layers with different thicknesses, for their practical applications into integrated devices. The systematic calculations on their elastic constants, phonon dispersions, and thermodynamic properties show that these structures are stable, depending on the composition of MXene. It is found: 1) different from MXene or N-functionalized MXene (M2 CN2 ), SiN2 /M2 X/SiN2 possess new electronic properties with free carriers only in the middle, leading to 2D free electron gas; 2) CNSi/MXene/CNSi shows an intrinsic Ohmic semiconductor-metal-semiconductor (S-M-S) contact, which is potential for applications into nanodevices; and 3) O/M2 C/SiN2 and N/M2 C/OSiN are also stable and show different electronic properties, which can be semiconductor or metal as a whole depending on the interface. A method is further proposed to fabricate the 2D structures based on the industrial availability. The findings may provide a novel strategy to design and fabricate the 2D structures for their application into nanodevices and integrated circuits.

Due to Fermi-level pinning in metal-two-dimensional MoS2 junctions, improving the performance of MoS2-based electrical devices is still under extensive study. The device performance of few-layer MoS2 depends strongly on the number of layers. In this work, via density-functional theory calculations, a comprehensive understanding from the atomistic view was reached for the interlayer interaction between metal and few-layer MoS2 with phase-engineering and intercalation doping, which are helpful for improving the contact performance. These two methods are probed to tune the performance of few-layer MoS2-based field-effect transistors, and both of them can tune the Schottky barrier height. Phase-engineering, which means that the MoS2 layer in contact with metal is converted to the T phase, can transform the Schottky barrier from n- to p-type. Intercalation doping, which takes advantage of annealing and results in metal atom interaction in between MoS2 layers, makes the MoS2 layers become quasi-freestanding and converts the indirect bandgap into direct bandgap. Our atomistic insights help improve the performance of few-layer MoS2-based electronic devices.

The porphyrin macrocyclic core features dynamic conformational transformations in free space because of its structural flexibility. Once attached to a substrate, the molecule–substrate interaction often restricts this flexibility and stabilizes the porphyrin in a specific conformation. Here using molecular dynamic and density-functional theory simulations and scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we investigated the conformation relaxation and stabilization processes of two porphyrin derivatives (5,15-dibromophenyl-10,20-diphenylporphyrin, Br2TPP, and 5,15-diphenylporphyrin, DPP) adsorbed on Au(111) and Pb(111) surfaces. We found that Br2TPP adopts either dome or saddle conformations on Au(111) but only the saddle conformation on Pb(111), whereas DPP deforms to a ruffled conformation on Au(111). We also resolved the structural transformation pathway of Br2TPP from the free-space conformations to the surface-anchored conformations. These findings provide unprecedented insights revealing the confo...

It is a great challenge to explore cheap, abundant and eco-friendly electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, we report the fabrication of VS2 nanoflowers with 1T phase by a simple hydrothermal method and their electrocatalytic performance in the HER. We find that the VS2 nanoflowers show comparable HER performance to Pt in acids, including an ultra-low onset potential of 32 mV, a Tafel slope of 34 mV dec−1 which resembles that of Pt, and a small overpotential of 58 mV (54 mV for Pt) at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. High stability and almost 100% faradaic efficiency indicate the practical application of VS2 nanoflowers in the HER. Our first-principles calculations reveal that the thermoneutral Gibbs free energy of hydrogen adsorption on both the basal and edge sites of the 1T-VS2 monolayer can be achieved under certain hydrogen coverage and the monolayer shows good conductivity, which contribute to the impressive catalytic performance of VS2 nanoflowers. We expect that the VS2 nanostructures may be applicable in electrocatalysis with high efficiency.

Photocatalytic water splitting is an environmentally friendly technique for hydrogen production. In this work, we report a novel photocatalyst consisting of two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbide (Ti2C) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). We observe substantially enhanced water splitting activities due to the efficient synergistic interaction between Ti2C and g-C3N4. Optimal properties are achieved in the g-C3N4 with a loading of 0.4 wt% Ti2C with a hydrogen production rate of 47.5 μmol h−1, which is 14.4 times as much as that in the case using pure g-C3N4, and it even outperforms Pt-loaded g-C3N4. We further show that the Ti2C/g-C3N4 has high stability and good reproducibility. We expect that the Ti2C/g-C3N4 can be a photocatalyst for large scale applications because both Ti2C and g-C3N4 are low-cost, abundant, and nontoxic.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have recently attracted tremendous interest for fundamental studies and applications. High contact resistances between the metal electrodes and the 2D TMDCs, usually composed of a tunneling barrier (TB) and a Schottky barrier (SB), are the key bottleneck to the realization of high performance devices based on such systems. Here, from van der Waals density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that strain can provide a feasible means to reduce the contact resistances between, for example, 2D semiconductor MoS2 and metal surfaces, in both strong and weak coupling regimes. Both the SB and TB are lowered significantly with the increasing tensile strain in both the coupling regimes. Especially, the SB can reduce to zero in all configurations considered, with tensile strain increasing to ∼4% or above. The mechanism of SB reduction under tensile strain is attributed to the increase of the MoS2 affinity energy since the monolayer MoS2 conduction band minimum (CBm) is derived from anti-bonding states. Thus, the SB in other semiconducting TMDCs with an anti-bonding CBm (for n-type contact) could also be reduced to zero by tensile strain. Our discoveries thus shed a new and general light on minimizing the contact resistance of semiconducting TMDCs-metal based contacts and this can also prove applicable to other 2D semiconductors, e.g. phosphorene.

Using low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we discovered locally ordered patches of O adatoms and single Zn vacancies on the Zn-terminated ZnO(0001) polar surface. Such patches are determined to be metastable ordered structures on the surface. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that Zn atoms bonded to an O adatom encounter a larger reaction barrier for leaving lattice sites, explaining the observed general disordered nature of the Zn-terminated surface that is populated by cavities of different shapes and sizes and disordered distribution of adatoms. The interplay among different driving mechanisms provides valuable insight as to how a polar surface of an ionic crystal achieves its lowest energy reconstructed surface structure. Comparisons between the charge on surface vs bulk layers for a relaxed (1 × 1) slab and a slab bounded on two ends by reconstructed surfaces with stoichiometric changes reveal that in a neutral environment, the polar surface of an ionic crystal tends ...

The strong interaction between transition metal (TM) atoms and semiconductor surface atoms may diminish the magnetic moments of the TM atoms and prevent them from being used as single atom spin-based devices. A carbon cage that can encapsulate TM atoms and isolate them from interacting with surface atoms is considered to protect the magnetic moments of the TM atoms. We have studied the magnetic moments of Fe, Co, and Ni atoms adsorbed inside the corner hole of Si(111)-(7 × 7) by using first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. The results show that when Co and Ni atoms are directly adsorbed inside the corner hole, the magnetic moments are 1.353μB and 0, respectively. However when a C60 cage is used to encapsulate the atoms, the magnetic moments increase to 1.849μB and 0.884μB, respectively. The results show a clear protecting effect of a carbon cage. For Fe with and without C60, the magnetic moments are 2.909μB and 2.825μB, respectively. The presence of a C60 cage can also maintain their magnetic moments. Further analysis shows that the TM atoms possess magnetic moments when the conduction electrons are localized around them. All the results can be well understood in the framework of the Anderson impurity model. Our results demonstrate that a carbon cage may effectively protect the magnetic moments of TM atoms. This provides a new strategy for developing single atom spin-based devices on semiconductors.

Layer-number-dependent performance of metal-semiconductor junctions (MSJs) with multilayered two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors has attracted increasing attention for their potential in ultrathin electronics and optoelectronics. However, the mechanism of the interaction and the resulting charge transfer/redistribution at the two kinds of interfaces in MSJ with multilayered 2D semiconductors, namely, the metal-semiconductor (M-S) and the semiconductor-semiconductor (S-S) interfaces, have not been well understood until now, although that is important for the overall Schottky barrier height and the energy-band-offset between different layers of the 2D semiconductors. Here, based on state-of-the-art density functional theory calculations, the mechanisms of bonding and asymmetric electron redistribution at the M-S and S-S interfaces of metal-bilayer MoS2 junctions are revealed. Multiple mechanisms collectively contribute to the electron redistribution at the two kinds of interfaces, and the dominant mechanism depends on both the dimensionality (2D vs 3D) and the work function of metal electrodes. For the M-S interface, the pushback effect and metal-induced gap states play a dominant role for MSJs with 3D metal, while the covalent-like quasi-bonding feature appears for MSJs with medium-work-function 2D metals, and charge transfer plays a main role for MSJs with 2D metals that have very large or small work functions. For the S-S interface, it inherits the electron-redistribution behavior of the M-S interface for MSJs with 2D metal, while opposite electron-redistribution appears in MSJs with 3D metal. These mechanisms provide general insights and new concepts to better understand and use MSJs with multilayered 2D semiconductors.

The Goodenough-Kanamori-Anderson (GKA) rules have been widely applied for explaining the magnetic properties induced by super-exchange interaction. As conclusions of the super-exchange theory, they reveal the antiferromagnetic (ferromagnetic) ordering along with bond angle of 180 degrees (90 degrees) in the cation-anion-cation interaction path, in which the theory sets a pre-condition that the electronic states of cations in all paths are identical. We observed that the GKA rules are in fact not universal and even invalid to materials containing anions with different valence states, for example, the layered CrOCl crystal (with two valence states of anions: O2- and Cl-). In this study, we propose an extended super-exchange theory (ESET) related to superposed electronic states of cation in a specific path. ESET is capable of predicting not only the sign and relative magnitude of magnetic exchange constants in different cation-anion-cation paths, but also the magnetic ground state. Through our proposed theory, we conclude that the magnetic ordering along with bond angle of 90 degrees in Cr-Cl-Cr path is moderately antiferromagnetic and of 180 degrees in Cr-O-Cr path is strongly ferromagnetic, which are opposite to the contents of GKA rules. Moreover, we clarify that monolayer CrOCl has antiferromagnetic ordering rather than ferromagnetic as reported recently. The reliability of ESET is verified via first-principles calculation and previous experimental report as well, and its universality is also demonstrated. Thus, our theory is powerful to predict the magnetic properties, which makes it possible to design new high Curie temperature two-dimensional semiconducting ferromagnets with polyvalent anion materials., 18 pages, five figures(including TOC)

Molecular doping of inorganic semiconductors is a rising topic in the field of organic/inorganic hybrid electronics. However, it is difficult to find dopant molecules which simultaneously exhibit strong reducibility and stability in ambient atmosphere, which are needed for n-type doping of oxide semiconductors. Herein, successful n-type doping of SnO

Carbon dioxide (CO2) normally exists in a gaseous molecular state under ambient conditions, while two-dimensional (2D) crystals of CO2 have not been reported yet. In this work, based on density functional theory and the particle swarm optimization method, we unveil two CO2 2D crystals with space groups of P4[combining macron]M2 and Amm2. Our results show that these structures have excellent thermal, dynamic, and mechanical stability. The new structures are insulators with an indirect or direct band gap, while the indirect band gap can be tuned to be direct with small uniaxial strains. More importantly, the P4[combining macron]M2 structure has an in-plane negative Poisson's ratio, which is due to the interaction of the lattice symmetry and the local CO4 tetrahedron symmetry. In addition, the Amm2 sheet has a very large electronic band gap (>9 eV), which is the largest in all known 2D materials. Enthalpy curves indicate that these 2D structures may be obtained from the ambient phase of CO2 under high pressure. This work presents new structures of CO2, and because of their excellent performance in terms of stability, mechanical and electronic properties, they potentially have broad applications.

Due to the intriguing anisotropic optical and electrical properties, low-symmetry 2D materials are attracting a lot of interest both for fundamental studies and fabricating novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. Identifying new promising low-symmetry 2D materials will be rewarding toward the evolution of nanoelectronics and nano-optoelectronics. In this work, germanium diarsenide (GeAs

The issue of whether the half-metallic (HM) nature of $\mathrm{Cr}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ could be retained at its surface has been a standing problem under debate for a few decades, but until now is still controversial. Here, based on the density functional theory calculations we show, in startling contrast to the previous theoretical understandings, that the surfaces of $\mathrm{Cr}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ favorably exhibit a half-metallic--semiconducting (SmC) transition driven by means of a surface electronic reconstruction largely attributed to the participation of the unexpected local charge carriers (LCCs), which convert the HM double exchange surface state into a SmC superexchange state and in turn, stabilize the surface as well. On the basis of the LCCs model, a new insight into the surface reconstruction rules is attained. Our novel finding not only provided an evident interpretation for the widely observed SmC character of $\mathrm{Cr}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ surface, but also offered a novel means to improve the HM surface states for a variety of applications in spintronics and superconductors, and promote the experimental realization of the quantum anomalous Hall effect in half-metal based systems.

Fullerenes have several advantages as potential materials for organic spintronics. Through a theoretical first-principles study, we report that fullerene C60 adsorption can induce a magnetic reconstruction in a Ni(111) surface and expose the merits of the reconstructed C60/Ni(111) spinterface for molecular spintronics applications. Surface reconstruction drastically modifies the magnetic properties at both sides of the C60/Ni interface. Three outstanding properties of the reconstructed structure are revealed, which originate from reconstruction enhanced spin-split π-d coupling between C60 and Ni(111): (1) the C60 spin polarization and conductance around the Fermi level are enhanced simultaneously, which can be important for read-head sensor miniaturization; (2) localized spin-polarized states appear in C60 with a spin-filter functionality; and (3) magnetocrystalline anisotropic energy and exchange coupling in the outermost Ni layer are reduced enormously. Surface reconstruction can be realized simply by controlling the annealing temperature in experiments.

We apply supramolecular assembly to control the adsorption configuration of Co-porphyrin molecules on Au(111) and Cu(111) surfaces. By means of cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy, we reveal that the Kondo effect associated with the Co center is absent or present in different supramolecular systems. We perform first-principles calculations to obtain spin-polarized electronic structures and compute the Kondo temperatures using the Anderson impurity model. The switching behavior is traced to varied molecular adsorption heights in different supramolecular structures. These findings unravel that a competition between intermolecular interactions and molecule-substrate interactions subtly regulates the molecular Kondo effect in supramolecular systems.

As a storage material for Li-ion batteries, graphene/molybdenum disulfide (Gr/MoS2) composite has been intensively studied experimentally. However, the relevant theoretical works from first principles are lacking. In the current work, van-der-Waals-corrected density functional theory calculations are performed to investigate the intercalation of Li in Gr/MoS2 composites. Several interesting features have been revealed for the intercalated Gr/Li(n)/MoS2 composites (n = 1–9). First, the reason for the large Li storage capacity of Gr/MoS2 is found to be due to the increase of the binding energy per Li atom with the increasing number of intercalated Li atoms besides the large space in Gr/MoS2 for Li-atom intercalation. Second, the band-gap opening of Gr is found. The band gap is enlarged with the increasing number of intercalated Li atoms, up to 160 meV with nine Li, suggesting an efficient way to tune the band gap of graphene. Third, the Dirac cone of Gr is always preserved for different numbers of ionically...

Inspired by recent experimental realizations of two-dimensional (2D) metals and alloys, we theoretically investigate the stability and electronic properties of monolayer (ML) Fe–C compounds and pure Fe. According to our theoretical results and those of others, ML pure Fe square lattices embedded in graphene (Gr) pores that proposed by the experiment (Science 2014, 343, 1228) are energetically unstable compared to Fe triangular lattices in Gr. To solve the above contradiction, we search for the stable structures of ML Fe–C with various Fe to C ratios (as a generalization of ML Fe in Gr) using ab initio particle swarm optimization technique. A Fe1C1 square lattice embedded in Gr is found. We propose and demonstrate that the square lattices observed in the experiment were iron carbides (Fe–C) but not pure Fe from the square-lattice shape, Fe–Fe lattice constant, and energetic considerations. Note that the coexistence of C with Fe cannot be excluded from the experiment. More importantly, we find a lowest-ener...

Inspired by experimental observations of Pt(111) surfaces reconstruction at the Pt/graphene (Gr) interfaces with ordered vacancy networks in the outermost Pt layer [e.g., Otero, G., et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2010, 105, 216102 ], the mechanism of the surface reconstruction is investigated by van der Waals corrected density functional theory in combination with particle-swarm optimization algorithm and ab initio atomistic thermodynamics. Our global structural search finds a more stable reconstructed structure than that which was reported before. With correction for vacancy formation energy, we demonstrate that the experimental observed surface reconstruction occurred at the earlier stages of graphene formation: (1) reconstruction occurred when C60 adsorption (before decomposition to form graphene) for C60 precursor or (2) reconstruction occurred when there were (partial) hydrogens remain in the hydrogenated precursors of C2H4 and planar C60H30. The reason is attributed to the fact that the energy gain, from t...

Large magnetoresistance has been reported for C60-based vertical spin valves. But for the underlying organic–ferromagnetic interfacial atomistic structures, both experimental and theoretical works have assumed unreconstructed atomic structures for the magnetic surfaces, although organic molecule (e.g., fullerene and thiolate) adsorption frequently induces nonmagnetic surfaces reconstruction. Here we report that C60 adsorption can induce a prototype ferromagnetic surface, Fe(001), reconstruction, via thorough structural search from first-principles calculations. We propose that Fe(001) surface reconstruction should already occur under the reported annealing temperature in literature. Reconstruction solidifies C60/Fe interface bonding and enhances C60 spin-polarization. More importantly, only our reconstructed structure can explain the experimental observation of an inversion of C60 spin-polarization around Fermi-level relative to that of Fe substrate, which is attributed to the C60 lowest unoccupied molecu...

Iron fluoride with high operating voltage and theoretical energy density has been proposed as a high-performance cathode material for Li-ion batteries. However, the inertness of pristine bulk FeF

Ferroelectrics have attracted a great deal of attention, but diatomic ferroelectrics are less common. Here we establish a class of diatomic ferroelectrics in the distorted NiAs-type structure based on state-of-the-art first-principles calculations. These compounds, with giant Rashba effect, possess rich phases, ranging from ferroelectric semiconductors to ferroelectric semimetals. Topological surface states and type-II bulk Dirac fermions are found in the undistorted phases. This class of multifunctional materials has potential applications in spin-orbitronics.

Germanium phosphide (GeP), a new member of the Group IV-Group V compounds, is introduced into the fast growing 2D family with experimental and theoretical demonstration of strong anisotropic physical properties. The indirect band gap of GeP can be drastically tuned from 1.68 eV for monolayer to 0.51 eV for bulk, with highly anisotropic dispersions of band structures. Thin GeP shows strong anisotropy of phonon vibrations. Moreover, photodetectors based on GeP flakes show highly anisotropic behavior with anisotropic factors of 1.52 and 1.83 for conductance and photoresponsivity, respectively. This work lays the foundation and ignites future research interests in Group IV-Group V compound 2D materials.

Two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have demonstrated huge potential in wide applications from nanodevices to energy harvesting/storage. In this work, we propose a new class of 2D monolayers, nitrogen-functionalized MXenes (Nb2CN2 and Ta2CN2), based on density-functional theory (DFT). We find that these monolayers are direct semiconductors with near linear energy dispersions at the Γ point. M2CN2 monolayers have significant small effective mass and show an ultra-high mobility of up to 106 cm2 V-1 s-1. We show that the electronic structures of the M2CN2 monolayers can be easily controlled by biaxial and uniaxial strains. Importantly, the carrier mobility and direct band gap can be dramatically increased within a certain range of strain. A direct-indirect band gap transition can be triggered and the band gap can be tuned under strain. The tunable electronic properties are attributed to the structural changes and charge redistribution under stain. Our findings demonstrate that N-functionalized MXenes are promising materials for nanodevices with high speed and low power.

An interesting in-plane anisotropic layered dimetal chalcogenide Ta2NiS5 is introduced, and the optical and electrical properties with respect to its in-plane anisotropy are systematically studied. The Raman vibration modes have been identified by Raman spectra measurements combined with calculations of phonon-related properties. Importantly, the Ta2NiS5 flakes exhibit strong anisotropic Raman response under the angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy measurements. We found that Raman intensities of the Ag mode not only depend on rotation angle but are also related to the sample thickness. In contrast, the infrared absorption with light polarized along the a axis direction is always larger than that in the c axis direction regardless of thickness under the polarization-resolved infrared spectroscopy measurements. Remarkably, the first-principles calculations combined with angle-resolved conductance measurements indicate strong anisotropic conductivity of Ta2NiS5. Our results not only prove Ta2NiS5 is ...

Spin-crossover (SCO) molecules are thought to be ideal systems for molecular spintronics when SCO can be precisely controlled at the single-molecule level. This is demonstrated here in the single-molecule junctions of Fe-porphyrin formed in a scanning tunneling microscope. Experimentally, we find that the junctions feature a zero-bias resonance in molecular conductance associated with the Fe spin center. When mechanically stretching or squeezing the junctions by adjusting the tip height, the line shape of the zero-bias resonance varies reversibly. First-principles calculations reveal that widening the junction gap by 2 A transforms the macrocyclic core hosting the Fe center from a saddle to a planar conformation. This conformational change shortens the Fe–N bonds by 3%, which changes the Fe spin state from S = 2 to S = 1.

So far the Tetra-MoN2 has been reported as the most stable structure of MoN2, which is a nonmagnetic semiconductor with an indirect band gap. With fluorine atoms adsorbed on the surface, the fluorinated Tetra-MoN2 (F-Tetra-MoN2) exhibits rich magnetic behaviors mediated by the polarized p electron of N and induced by small strains and low-concentration charge doping. Coverage or distance of F adsorbates also causes dramatic change of the magnetic properties. F adsorbates trend to aggregation which induces stronger spin polarization in F-Tetra-MoN2. These results suggest an efficient route to tune the magnetic properties of fluorinated Tetra-MoN2.

Carbon doped into Bi2Se3 as substitution for Se was reported inducing simultaneous magnetic and hole doping. In this work, based on theoretical and experimental approaches, we find that carbon doped Bi2Se3 is indeed spin polarized, while the magnetic moments are small and hole doping is little. Most carbon atoms energetically favor to be dimer- and trimer-substitutions for Se which induce neither magnetism nor charge doping. A few isolated carbon atoms doped at interstitial sites in the vdW gap or at Se vacancies result in spontaneous spin polarization and charge doping. The diffusion of a single carbon dopant into Bi2Se3 is difficult, while if dopants are close, carbon clusters can easily form, which means that the isolated, pairwise, and trimeric carbon dopants should coexist. These studies suggest that to obtain strong ferromagnetic C-Bi2Se3, experiments need careful design to dope single carbon atoms into bulk dispersedly.

Oxygen vacancies (VO) are known to be common native defects in zinc oxide (ZnO) and to play important roles in many applications. Based on density functional theory, we present a study for the migration of oxygen vacancies in ultra-thin ZnO nanowires (NWs). We find that under equilibrium growth conditions VO has a higher formation energy (Ef) inside the wire than that at shallow sites and surface sites, with different geometric relaxations and structural reconstructions. The migration of VO has lower barriers in the NW than in the bulk and is found to be energetically favorable in the direction from the bulk to the surface. These results imply a higher concentration of VO at surface sites and also a relative ease of diffusion in the NW structure. Our results support the previous experimental observations and are important for the development of ZnO-based devices in photocatalysis and optoelectronics.

The effects of surface reconstruction on electron transport of two monolayers of C60 sandwiched between two Cu(111) bulk electrodes have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations combined with a nonequilibrium Green's function technique. Two markedly different electrode surface structures have been considered, which have been obtained in previous experimental works: one with an unreconstructed perfect surface and the other with a surface reconstruction with a 7-atom-missing hole per (4 × 4) Cu(111) cell. The results indicate that surface reconstruction induces an increase of more than 50% in the current at low bias. Molecular-orbital projected density of states (MO-PDOS) analysis reveals that the change in transport properties originates from the enhanced orbital-dependent electrode–molecule coupling and the increased charge transfer from electrodes to molecules. Our current work suggests that surface reconstruction could play a very important role in the electron transport properties; and hence surface reconstruction (or more generally realistic atomic contact details) should be taken into full consideration in the simulation and design of molecular devices, especially when it is expected to reproduce computationally the experimental observations.

Green defect emission is commonly observed in ZnO nanostructures. It is frequently attributed to oxygen vacancies and used to evaluate performance and study physical mechanisms in a variety of applications, such as gas sensing and photocatalysis. However, competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain green emission, which raises questions about the role of oxygen vacancies in sensing and photocatalytic processes. The major problem in correct experimental identification of defects in ZnO is the abundance of defects present, while theoretically there are problems with accurate calculation of a defect energy level in the gap. Thus, here we adopted a different approach and studied experimentally and theoretically the interaction of ZnO with different chemical substances (hydrogen and a silane-based molecule). Based on theoretical predictions and experimental results, we can conclude that green emission can likely be assigned to defect complexes, which may contain zinc vacancies.

Very recently, in spite of various efforts in searching for two dimensional topological Dirac semimetals (2D TDSMs) in phosphorene, there remains a lack of experimentally efficient way to activate such phase transition and the underlying mechanism for the topological phase acquisition is still controversial. Here, from first-principles calculations in combination with a band-sorting technique based on k.p theory, a layer-pressure topological phase diagram is obtained and some of the controversies are clarified. We demonstrate that, compared with tuning by external electric-fields, strain or doping by adsorption, hydrostatic pressure can be an experimentally more feasible way to activate the topological phase transition for 2D TDSM acquisition in phosphorene. More importantly, the resultant TDSM state is a pristine phase possessing a single pair of symmetry-protected Dirac cones right at the Fermi level, in startling contrast to the pressured bulk black phosphorous where only a carrier-mixed Dirac state can be obtained. We corroborate that the Dirac points are robust under external perturbation as long as the glide-plane symmetry preserves. Our findings provide a means to realize 2D pristine TDSM in a more achievable manner, which could be crucial in the realization of controllable TDSM states in phosphorene and related 2D materials., Comment: 5 figures+Supplemental Material

The adsorption of pentacene, perfluoropentacene, other acenes, and biphenyl on a Cu(111) single-crystal surface was studied by a modified version of a van der Waals density functional. Accurate and consistent interface geometries and adsorption energies were obtained for the first time. All studied interactions between the organics and the metal are in the sensitive intermediate regime between chemisorption and physisorption, in which regime both geometric and electronic structures of the adsorbates are strongly modified by the metal surface. Adsorption induced gentle curving of flat acenes is demonstrated and explained (the ends of the acenes curving away from the metal relative to their center); in contrast, biphenyl, which is twisted when free, becomes coplanar after adsorption. More importantly, perfluoropentacene is “pinned” to Cu(111) by a sharp bend that creates a localized strong bond, which explains earlier puzzling experimental observations reported for perfluoropentacene relative to pentacene. ...

The adsorption of buckminsterfullerene (C60) on metal surfaces has been investigated extensively for its unique geometric and electronic properties. The two-dimensional systems formed on surfaces allow studying in detail the interplay between bonding and electronic structures. Recent studies reveal that C60 adsorption induces reconstruction of even the less-reactive close-packed metal surfaces. First-principles computations enable access to this important issue by providing not only detailed atomic structure but also electronic properties of the substrate–adsorbate interaction, which can be compared with various experimental techniques to determine and understand the interface structures. This review discusses in detail the ordered phases of C60 monolayers on metal surfaces and the surface reconstruction induced by C60 adsorption, with an emphasis on the different types of reconstruction resulting on close-packed metal surfaces. We show that the symmetry matching between C60 molecules and metal surfaces determines the local adsorption configurations, while the size matching between C60 molecules and the metal surface lattice determines the supercell sizes and shapes; importantly and uniquely for C60, the number of surface metal atoms within one supercell determines the different types of reconstruction that can occur. The atomic structure at the molecule–metal interface is of crucial importance for the monolayer’s electronic and transport properties: these will also be discussed for the well-defined adsorption structures, especially from the perspective of tuning the electronic structure via C60–metal interface reconstruction and via relative inter-C60 orientations.

The adsorption of methylphosphonic acid (MPA, formula CH 3 –PO 3 H 2 ) on ZnO(10-10) surfaces has been investigated by first-principles density-functional total energy calculations. We show that substrate mediated interactions between co-adsorbates can significantly affect the binding energy of MPA on the ZnO surface, which leads to a preferential molecular dimer assembly along the polar [0001] direction (i.e. along the Zn–O dimer direction). We propose that this is caused by a local charge compensation mechanism due to the relaxation of the ZnO surface and suggest that this concept can be applied to other adsorbates on metal oxide surfaces with metal–oxygen dimers.

Temperature-dependent transformations of the adsorption configuration of a molecule containing 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (terpy) end-groups on a flat Cu(1 1 1) surface are studied by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Several quite different adsorption configurations are detected for the terpy end-group, including flat physisorption, distorted chemisorption through N–Cu bonds, and H-dissociative chemisorption through N–Cu and C–Cu bonds. These illustrate and explore various bonding modes of molecules at surfaces, which also imply a greater richness of reaction pathways, both of which are of central importance in a wide variety of heterogeneous catalytic processes on metal catalysts. As deposited on the cold substrate (near 77 K), the molecules are preferably chemisorbed on the surface through N–Cu bonds. With increasing annealing temperature, the molecules are converted to a physisorption configuration at and above 300 K, and above 370 K a small fraction of molecules undergoes dehydrogenation and chemisorb on the surface through N–Cu and C–Cu bonds. The present study demonstrates that the combination of STM measurements and DFT calculations is very effective for probing the atomic details of molecular adsorption configurations on surfaces.

Molecular doping of inorganic semiconductors is a rising topic in the field of organic/inorganic hybrid electronics. However, it is difficult to find dopant molecules which simultaneously exhibit strong reducibility and stability in ambient atmosphere, which are needed for n-type doping of oxide semiconductors. Herein, successful n-type doping of SnO2 is demonstrated by a simple, air-robust, and cost-effective triphenylphosphine oxide molecule. Strikingly, it is discovered that electrons are transferred from the R3P+ O- σ-bond to the peripheral tin atoms other than the directly interacted ones at the surface. That means those electrons are delocalized. The course is verified by multi-photophysical characterizations. This doping effect accounts for the enhancement of conductivity and the decline of work function of SnO2 , which enlarges the built-in field from 0.01 to 0.07 eV and decreases the energy barrier from 0.55 to 0.39 eV at the SnO2 /perovskite interface enabling an increase in the conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells from 19.01% to 20.69%.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors SnP3 are predicted, from first-principles calculations, to host moderate band gaps (0.72 eV for monolayer and 1.07 eV for bilayer), ultrahigh carrier mobility (~104 cm2 V−1 s−1 for bilayer), strong absorption coefficients (~105 cm−1) and good stability. Moreover, the band gap can be modulated from an indirect character into a direct one via strain engineering. For experimental accessibility, the calculated exfoliation energies of monolayer and bilayer SnP3 are smaller than those of the common arsenic-type honeycomb structures GeP3 and InP3. More importantly, a semiconductor-to-metal transition is discovered with the layer number N > 2. We demonstrate, in remarkable contrast to the previous understandings, that such phase transition is largely driven by the correlation between lone-pair electrons of interlayer Sn and P atoms. This mechanism is universal for analogues phase transitions in arsenic-type honeycomb structures (GeP3, InP3 and SnP3).