Production of Magnetic Arsenic-Phosphorus Alloy Nanoribbons with Small Band Gaps and High Hole Conductivities

Diethylbenzene and ethyltoluene adsorption studies on novel beta antimonide phosphorus nanosheets-a first-principle study

CONTEXT

In the present work, we examined the sensing behavior of monolayer beta antimonide phosphorus (β-SbP) sheets towards toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) namely, 1,2-diethylbenzene and 2-ethyltoluene using density functional theory (DFT) method. At first, using cohesive energy structural stability of the monolayer β-SbP is confirmed. The calculated energy band gap value of monolayer β-SbP is 2.168 eV, which is a semiconductor. Furthermore, the adsorption properties of 1,2-diethylbenzene and 2-ethyltoluene on β-SbP are studied through key factors, such as adsorption energy, Mulliken charge transfer, and relative band gap variation. The adsorption energy clearly shows (- 0.335 to - 0.903 eV) that both 1,2-diethylbenzene and 2-ethyltoluene are physisorbed on β-SbP monolayer. Besides, Mulliken charge transfer falls in the range of - 0.465 to 0.933 e; this information clearly shows that the β-SbP monolayer is a potential candidate for sensing 1,2-diethylbenzene and 2-ethyltoluene molecules.

METHODS

The structural firmness including electronic and adsorption properties of 1,2-diethylbenzene and 2-ethyltoluene on β-SbP monolayer are investigated with the support of the DFT method. Particularly, the hybrid generalized gradient approximation (hybrid GGA) along with Beck's three-parameter + Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) exchange-correlation functional is utilized for relaxing the β-SbP monolayer. In the present work, all calculations are performed using the Quantum Atomistic Tool Kit (ATK) simulation package. In the present work, we utilized β-SbP monolayer as a chief sensing element to detect 1,2-diethylbenzene and 2-ethyltoluene to safeguard humans from toxic environments.

Investigating the mechanism of phosphorene nanoribbon synthesis by discharging black phosphorus intercalation compounds

Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) can be synthesised in intrinsically scalable methods from intercalation of black phosphorus (BP), however, the mechanism of ribbonisation remains unclear. Herein, to investigate the point at which nanoribbons form, we decouple the two key synthesis steps: first, the formation of the BP intercalation compound, and second, the dissolution into a polar aprotic solvent. We find that both the lithium intercalant and the negative charge on the phosphorus host framework can be effectively removed by addition of phenyl cyanide to return BP and investigate whether fracturing to ribbons occurred after the first step. Further efforts to exfoliate mechanically with or without solvent reveal that the intercalation step does not form ribbons, indicating that an interaction between the amidic solvent and the intercalated phosphorus compound plays an important role in the formation of nanoribbons.