Huabing Shu

Anomalous Size Dependence of Optical Properties in Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots

Understanding electron transitions in black phosphorus nanostructures plays a crucial role in applications in electronics and optoelectronics. In this work, by employing time-dependent density functional theory calculations, we systematically study the size-dependent electronic, optical absorption, and emission properties of black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs). Both the electronic gap and the absorption gap follow an inversely proportional law to the diameter of BPQDs in conformity to the quantum confinement effect. In contrast, the emission gap exhibits anomalous size dependence in the range of 0.8-1.8 nm, which is blue-shifted with the increase of size. The anomaly in fact arises from the structure distortion induced by the excited-state relaxation, and it leads to a huge Stokes shift in small BPQDs.

Greatly Enhanced Optical Absorption of a Defective MoS2 Monolayer through Oxygen Passivation

Structural defects in the molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) monolayer are widely reported and greatly degrade the transport and photoluminescence. However, how they influence the optical absorption properties remains unclear. In this work, by employing many-body perturbation theory calculations, we investigate the influence of sulfur vacancies (SVs), the main type of intrinsic defects in the MoS2 monolayer, on the optical absorption and exciton effect. Our calculations reveal that the presence of SVs creates localized midgap states in the bandgap, which results in a dramatic red-shift of the absorption peak and stronger absorbance in the visible light and near-infrared region. Nevertheless, the SVs can be finely repaired by oxygen passivation and are beneficial to the formation of the stable localized excitons, which greatly enhance the optical absorption in the spectral range. The defect-mediated/-engineered absorption mechanism is well understood, which offers insightful guides for improving the performance of two-dimensional dichalcogenide-based optoelectronic devices.

Revealing the underlying absorption and emission mechanism of nitrogen doped graphene quantum dots

Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) hold promising application in electronics and optoelectronics because of their excellent photo-stability, tunable photoluminescence and high quantum yield. However, the absorption and emission mechanisms have been debated for years. Here, by employing time-dependent density functional theory, we demonstrate that the different N-doping types and positions give rise to different absorption and emission behaviors, which successfully addresses the inconsistency observed in different experiments. Specifically, center doping creates mid-states, rendering non-fluorescence, while edge N-doping modulates the energy levels of excited states and increases the radiation transition probability, thus enhancing fluorescence strength. More importantly, the even hybridization of frontier orbitals between edge N atoms and GQDs leads to a blue-shift of both absorption and emission spectra, while the uneven hybridization of frontier orbitals induces a red-shift. Solvent effects on N-GQDs are further explored by the conductor-like screening model and it is found that strong polarity of the solvent can cause a red-shift and enhance the intensity of both absorption and emission spectra.

Photoabsorption Tolerance of Intrinsic Point Defects and Oxidation in Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots

Black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) exhibit excellent optical and photothermal properties and promising applications in optoelectronics and biomedicine. However, various intrinsic structural defects and oxidation are nearly unavoidable in preparation of BPQDs and how they affect the electronic and optical properties remains unclear. Here, by employing time-dependent density functional theory, we reveal that there are two types of photoabsorption in BPQDs for both point defects and oxidation. A close structure-absorption relation is unraveled: BPQDs are defect-tolerant and show excellent photoabsorption as long as the coordination number (CN) of defective P atoms is 3. By contrast, the unsaturated or oversaturated P atoms with CN ≠ 3 create in-gap-states (IGSs) and completely quench the optical absorption. An effective way to eliminate the IGSs and repair the photoabsorption of defective BPQDs via sufficient hydrogen passivation is further proposed.

Tunable electronic and optical properties of monolayer silicane under tensile strain: A many-body study

The electronic structure and optical response of silicane to strain are investigated by employing first-principles calculations based on many-body perturbation theory. The bandgap can be efficiently engineered in a broad range and an indirect to direct bandgap transition is observed under a strain of 2.74%; the semiconducting silicane can even be turned into a metal under a very large strain. The transitions derive from the persistent downward shift of the lowest conduction band at the Γ-point upon an increasing strain. The quasi-particle bandgaps of silicane are sizable due to the weak dielectric screening and the low dimension; they are rapidly reduced as strain increases while the exciton bound energy is not that sensitive. Moreover, the optical absorption edge of the strained silicane significantly shifts towards a low photon energy region and falls into the visible light range, which might serve as a promising candidate for optoelectronic devices.

Arsenene-Based Heterostructures: Highly Efficient Bifunctional Materials for Photovoltaics and Photocatalytics

Constructing suitable type II heterostructures is a reliable solution for high-efficient photovoltaic and photocatalytic materials. Arsenene, as a rising member of monoelemental two-dimensional materials, shows great potential as a building block of heterostructures because of its suitable band gap, high carrier mobility, and good optical properties. On the basis of accurate band structure calculations by combining the many-body perturbation GW method with an extrapolation technique, we demonstrate that arsenene-based heterostructures paired with molybdenum disulfide, tetracyano-quinodimethane, or tetracyanonaphtho-quinodimethane can form type II band alignments. These arsenene-based heterostructures cannot only satisfy all the requirements as photocatalysts for photocatalytic water splitting but can also show an excellent power conversion efficiency of ∼20% as potential photovoltaics.