Shunhong Zhang

Penta-graphene: A new carbon allotrope

Significance Carbon has many faces––from diamond and graphite to graphene, nanotube, and fullerenes. Whereas hexagons are the primary building blocks of many of these materials, except for C20 fullerene, carbon structures made exclusively of pentagons are not known. Because many of the exotic properties of carbon are associated with their unique structures, some fundamental questions arise: Is it possible to have materials made exclusively of carbon pentagons and if so will they be stable and have unusual properties? Based on extensive analyses and simulations we show that penta-graphene, composed of only carbon pentagons and resembling Cairo pentagonal tiling, is dynamically, thermally, and mechanically stable. It exhibits negative Poissons ratio, a large band gap, and an ultrahigh mechanical strength. A 2D metastable carbon allotrope, penta-graphene, composed entirely of carbon pentagons and resembling the Cairo pentagonal tiling, is proposed. State-of-the-art theoretical calculations confirm that the new carbon polymorph is not only dynamically and mechanically stable, but also can withstand temperatures as high as 1000 K. Due to its unique atomic configuration, penta-graphene has an unusual negative Poisson’s ratio and ultrahigh ideal strength that can even outperform graphene. Furthermore, unlike graphene that needs to be functionalized for opening a band gap, penta-graphene possesses an intrinsic quasi-direct band gap as large as 3.25 eV, close to that of ZnO and GaN. Equally important, penta-graphene can be exfoliated from T12-carbon. When rolled up, it can form pentagon-based nanotubes which are semiconducting, regardless of their chirality. When stacked in different patterns, stable 3D twin structures of T12-carbon are generated with band gaps even larger than that of T12-carbon. The versatility of penta-graphene and its derivatives are expected to have broad applications in nanoelectronics and nanomechanics.

Stable three-dimensional metallic carbon with interlocking hexagons

Significance Carbon is an amazing material: it not only forms the chemical basis for all known life but also, because of its rich physics and chemistry, displays an array of structures: from the age-old graphite and diamond to more recent C60 fullerene, 1D nanotube, and 2D graphene. One of the unsolved issues in carbon science has been to find a 3D form of carbon that is metallic under ambient conditions. This paper addresses this important challenge. Using state-of-the-art theoretical calculations, we predict the existence of such a phase that is formed from interlocking hexagons and is dynamically, mechanically, and thermally stable. It is suggested that this new form of carbon may be synthesized chemically by using benzene or polyacenes molecules. Design and synthesis of 3D metallic carbon that is stable under ambient conditions has been a long-standing dream. We predict the existence of such phases, T6- and T14-carbon, consisting of interlocking hexagons. Their dynamic, mechanical, and thermal stabilities are confirmed by carrying out a variety of state-of-the-art theoretical calculations. Unlike the previously studied K4 and the simple cubic high pressure metallic phases, the structures predicted in this work are stable under ambient conditions. Equally important, they may be synthesized chemically by using benzene or polyacenes molecules.

Three-Dimensional Metallic Boron Nitride

Boron nitride (BN) and carbon are chemical analogues of each other and share similar structures such as one-dimensional nanotubes, two-dimensional nanosheets characterized by sp(2) bonding, and three-dimensional diamond structures characterized by sp(3) bonding. However, unlike carbon which can be metallic in one, two, and three dimensions, BN is an insulator, irrespective of its structure and dimensionality. On the basis of state-of-the-art theoretical calculations, we propose a tetragonal phase of BN which is both dynamically stable and metallic. Analysis of its band structure, density of states, and electron localization function confirms the origin of the metallic behavior to be due to the delocalized B 2p electrons. The metallicity exhibited in the studied three-dimensional BN structures can lead to materials beyond conventional ceramics as well as to materials with potential for applications in electronic devices.

Stability and physical properties of a tri-ring based porous g-C4N3 sheet.

Due to their porosity and biocompatibility, C-N based graphitic sheets are currently attracting much attention. Here we present our findings on a new structure of a g-C4N3 sheet composed of the tri-ring heptazine-like units, which is energetically more stable, more elastic and isotropic than the previously proposed structure consisting of the single-ring triazines. Dynamics and thermal stability of the new structure are confirmed using phonon spectrum calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. Based on hybrid density functional theory, we demonstrate that the tri-ring unit based g-C4N3 is a semiconductor with a small band gap, sharp optical absorption peaks and high absorption intensity. Although the new structure is nonmagnetic, ferromagnetism can be introduced and the optical absorption can be tuned by applying a small strain.

Structure and properties of Mn4Cl9: An antiferromagnetic binary hyperhalogen

Calculations based on density functional theory show that the structure of Mn(4)Cl(9) anion is that of a Mn atom at the core surrounded by three MnCl(3) moieties. Since Mn is predominantly divalent and MnCl(3) is known to be a superhalogen with a vertical detachment energy (VDE) of 5.27 eV, Mn(4)Cl(9) can be viewed as a hyperhalogen with the formula unit Mn(MnCl(3))(3). Indeed, the calculated VDE of Mn(4)Cl(9) anion, namely 6.76 eV, is larger than that of MnCl(3) anion. More importantly, unlike previously discovered hyperhalogens, Mn(4)Cl(9) is the first such hyperhalogen species composed of only two constituent atoms. We further show that Mn(4)Cl(9) can be used as a ligand to design molecules with even higher VDEs. For example, Li[Mn(MnCl(3))(3)](2) anion has a VDE of 7.26 eV. These negatively charged clusters are antiferromagnetic with most of the magnetic moments localized at the Mn sites. Our studies show new pathways for creating binary hyperhalogens.

Robust ferromagnetism in monolayer chromium nitride.

Design and synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) materials with robust ferromagnetism and biocompatibility is highly desirable due to their potential applications in spintronics and biodevices. However, the hotly pursued 2D sheets including pristine graphene, monolayer BN, and layered transition metal dichalcogenides are nonmagnetic or weakly magnetic. Using biomimetic particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique combined with ab initio calculations we predict the existence of a 2D structure, a monolayer of rocksalt-structured CrN (100) surface, which is both ferromagnetic and biocompatible. Its dynamic, thermal and magnetic stabilities are confirmed by carrying out a variety of state-of-the-art theoretical calculations. Analyses of its band structure and density of states reveal that this material is half-metallic, and the origin of the ferromagnetism is due to p-d exchange interaction between the Cr and N atoms. We demonstrate that the displayed ferromagnetism is robust against thermal and mechanical perturbations. The corresponding Curie temperature is about 675 K which is higher than that of most previously studied 2D monolayers.

A new C=C embedded porphyrin sheet with superior oxygen reduction performance

C2 is a well-known pseudo-oxygen unit with an electron affinity of 3.4 eV. We show that it can exhibit metal-ion like behavior when embedded in a porphyrin sheet and form a metal-free two-dimensional material with superior oxygen reduction performance. Here, the positively charged C=C units are highly active for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) via dissociation pathways with a small energy barrier of 0.09 eV, much smaller than that of other non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) ORR catalysts. Using a microkinetics-based model, we calculated the partial current density to be 3.0 mA/cm2 at 0.65 V vs. a standard hydrogen electrode (SHE), which is comparable to that of the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. We further confirm that the C=C embedded porphyrin sheet is dynamically and thermally stable with a quasi-direct band gap of 1.14 eV. The superior catalytic performance and geometric stability make the metal-free C=C porphyrin sheet ideal for fuel cell applications.

Bonding-restricted structure search for novel 2D materials with dispersed C2 dimers.

Currently, the available algorithms for unbiased structure searches are primarily atom-based, where atoms are manipulated as the elementary units, and energy is used as the target function without any restrictions on the bonding of atoms. In fact, in many cases such as nanostructure-assembled materials, the structural units are nanoclusters. We report a study of a bonding-restricted structure search method based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) for finding the stable structures of two-dimensional (2D) materials containing dispersed C2 dimers rather than individual C atoms. The C2 dimer can be considered as a prototype of nanoclusters. Taking Si-C, B-C and Ti-C systems as test cases, our method combined with density functional theory and phonon calculations uncover new ground state geometrical structures for SiC2, Si2C2, BC2, B2C2, TiC2, and Ti2C2 sheets and their low-lying energy allotropes, as well as their electronic structures. Equally important, this method can be applied to other complex systems even containing f elements and other molecular dimers such as S2, N2, B2 and Si2, where the complex orbital orientations require extensive search for finding the optimal orientations to maximize the bonding with the dimers, predicting new 2D materials beyond MXenes (a family of transition metal carbides or nitrides) and dichalcogenide monolayers.

Magnetism of triangular nanoflakes with different compositions and edge terminations

Since the discovery of the giant magnetoresistance effect, extensive research has been devoted to finding new materials for spintronic devices. The hotly pursued nanostructure-based magnetic materials are potential candidates for such applications. Among them, graphene triangular nanoflakes (G-TNFs), due to their special magnetic configurations, can serve as building blocks for design of new C-based magnetic materials. This motivates the present study to systematically investigate how magnetism of the TNFs changes with their edge termination, composition, and atomic distribution. Using density functional theory, we show that the F-terminated G-TNFs have similar magnetic behavior to the H-terminated G-TNFs. Besides the edge terminations, partially hydrogenation of interior C atoms in the G-TNFs breaks the conjugate π orbitals and thus leads to extra net magnetic moment. The IV-group binary SiC-TNFs resemble the G-TNFs in magnetic properties, while the III–V group binary BN- and AlN-TNFs are different although they also have honeycomb structures. The different magnetic behaviors originate from the different occupations of pz atomic orbitals and the resulting change of conjugate π molecular orbitals. This study provides physical insight on tuning the magnetic behavior of TNFs through controlling their composition, size, and edge termination.

Phosphorus K4 Crystal: A New Stable Allotrope.

The intriguing properties of phosphorene motivate scientists to further explore the structures and properties of phosphorus materials. Here, we report a new allotrope named K4 phosphorus composed of three-coordinated phosphorus atoms in non-layered structure which is not only dynamically and mechanically stable, but also possesses thermal stability comparable to that of the orthorhombic black phosphorus (A17). Due to its unique configuration, K4 phosphorus exhibits exceptional properties: it possesses a band gap of 1.54 eV which is much larger than that of black phosphorus (0.30 eV), and it is stiffer than black phosphorus. The band gap of the newly predicted phase can be effectively tuned by appling hydrostastic pressure. In addition, K4 phosphorus exibits a good light absorption in visible and near ultraviolet region. These findings add additional features to the phosphorus family with new potential applications in nanoelectronics and nanomechanics.