Simon M-M Dubois

Transport properties of graphene containing structural defects

We propose an extensive report on the simulation of electronic transport in two-dimensional graphene in presence of structural defects. Amongst the large variety of such defects in sp2 carbon-based materials, we focus on the Stone-Wales defect and on two divacancy-type reconstructed defects. Based on ab initio calculations, a tight-binding model is derived to describe the electronic structure of these defects. Semiclassical transport properties including the elastic mean-free paths, mobilities, and conductivities are computed using an order-N real-space Kubo-Greenwood method. A plateau of minimum conductivity (σmin sc = 4e2/πh) is progressively observed as the density of defects increases. This saturation of the decay of conductivity to σmin sc is associated with defect-dependent resonance energies. Finally, localization phenomena are captured beyond the semiclassical regime. An Anderson transition is predicted with localization lengths of the order of tens of nanometers for defect densities around 1%.

Quantum Transport in Graphene Nanoribbons: Effects of Edge Reconstruction and Chemical Reactivity

We present first-principles transport calculations of graphene nanoribbons with chemically reconstructed edge profiles. Depending on the geometry of the defect and the degree of hydrogenation, spectacularly different transport mechanisms are obtained. In the case of monohydrogenated pentagon (heptagon) defects, an effective acceptor (donor) character results in strong electron-hole conductance asymmetry. In contrast, weak backscattering is obtained for defects that preserve the benzenoid structure of graphene. Based on a tight-binding model derived from ab initio calculations, evidence for large conductance scaling fluctuations are found in disordered ribbons with lengths up to the micrometer scale.

Two-Dimensional Graphene with Structural Defects: Elastic Mean Free Path, Minimum Conductivity, and Anderson Transition

Quantum transport properties of disordered graphene with structural defects (Stone-Wales and divacancies) are investigated using a realistic π-π* tight-binding model elaborated from ab initio calculations. Mean free paths and semiclassical conductivities are then computed as a function of the nature and density of defects (using an order-N real-space Kubo-Greenwood method). By increasing the defect density, the decay of the semiclassical conductivities is predicted to saturate to a minimum value of 4e2/πh over a large range (plateau) of carrier density (>0.5×10(14)  cm(-20). Additionally, strong contributions of quantum interferences suggest that the Anderson localization regime could be experimentally measurable for a defect density as low as 1%.

Achievements of DFT for the investigation of graphene-related nanostructures.

CONSPECTUS: Graphene-related nanostructures stand out as exceptional materials due to both their wide range of properties and their expanse of interest in both applied and fundamental research. They are good examples of nanoscale materials for which the properties do not necessarily replicate those of the bulk. For the description and the understanding of their properties, it is clear that a general quantum-mechanical approach is mandatory. The remarkable result of density functional theory (DFT) is that the quantum-mechanical description of materials at the ground state is made amenable to simulations at a relatively low computational cost. The knowledge of materials has undergone a revolution after the introduction of DFT as an unrivaled instrument for the investigation of materials properties through computer experiments. Their deeper understanding comes from a variety of tools developed from concepts intrinsically present in DFT, notably the total energy and the charge density. Such tools allow the prediction of a diverse set of physicochemical properties relevant for material scientists. This Account lays out an example-driven tour through the achievements of ground-state DFT applied to the description of graphene-related nanostructures and to the deep understanding of their outstanding properties. After a brief introduction to DFT, the survey starts with the determination of the most basic properties that can be obtained from DFT, that is, band structures, lattice parameters, and spin ground state. Next follows an exploration of how total energies of different systems can give information about relative stability, formation energies, and reaction paths. Exploiting the derivatives of the energy with respect to displacements leads the way toward the extraction of vibrational and mechanical properties. In addition, a close examination of the charge density gives information about charge transfer mechanisms, which can be linked to chemical reactivity. The ground state density and Hamiltonian finally connect to the concepts behind transport phenomena, which drive much of the application-oriented research on graphene and graphene-related nanostructures. In each section, a selection of cases that are of current importance are used to illustrate the use and relevance of DFT-based techniques. In summary, this Account presents an introductory landscape of the possibilities of ground-state DFT for the study of graphene-related nanostructures. The prospect is rich, and the use of DFT for the study of graphene-related nanostructures will continue to be fruitful for the advancement of these and other materials.

Electronic transport calculations in the onetep code: Implementation and applications

We present an approach for computing Landauer–Buttiker ballistic electronic transport for multi-lead devices containing thousands of atoms. The method is implemented in the onetep linear-scaling density-functional theory code and uses matrix elements calculated from first-principles. Using a compact yet accurate basis of atom-centred non-orthogonal generalised Wannier functions that are optimised in situ to their unique local chemical environment, the transmission and related properties of very large systems can be calculated efficiently and accurately. Other key features include the ability to simulate devices with an arbitrary number of leads, to compute eigenchannel decompositions, and to run on highly parallel computer architectures. We demonstrate the scale of the calculations made possible by our approach by applying it to the study of electronic transport between aligned carbon nanotubes, with system sizes up to 2360 atoms for the underlying density-functional theory calculation. As a consequence of our efficient implementation, computing electronic transport from first principles in systems containing thousands of atoms should be considered routine, even on relatively modest computational resources.