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Hussain T, Kaewmaraya T, Chakraborty S, Vovusha H, Amornkitbamrung V, Ahuja R. Defected and Functionalized Germanene-based Nanosensors under Sulfur Comprising Gas Exposure. ACS Sens 2018; 3:867-874. [PMID: 29582648 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Efficient sensing of sulfur containing toxic gases like H2S and SO2 is of the utmost importance due to the adverse effects of these noxious gases. Absence of an efficient 2D-based nanosensor capable of anchoring H2S and SO2 with feasible binding and an apparent variation in electronic properties upon the exposure of gas molecules has motivated us to explore the promise of a germanene nanosheet (Ge-NS) for this purpose. In the present study, we have performed a comprehensive computational investigation by means of DFT-based first-principles calculations to envisage the structural, electronic, and gas sensing properties of pristine, defected, and metal substituted Ge-NSs. Our initial screening has revealed that although interaction of SO2 with pristine Ge-NSs is within the desirable range, H2S binding however falls below the required values to guarantee an effective sensing. To improve the binding characteristics, we have considered the interactions between H2S and SO2 with defected and metal substituted Ge-NS. The systematic removals of Ge atoms from a reasonably large super cell lead to monovacancy, divacancies, and trivacancies in Ge-NS. Similarly, different transition metals like As, Co, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Ni, and Zn have been substituted into the monolayer to realize substituted Ge-NS. Our van der Waals corrected DFT calculations have concluded that the vacancy and substitution defects not only improve the binding characteristics but also enhance the sensing propensity of both H2S and SO2. The total and projected density of states show significant variations in electronic properties of pristine and defected Ge-NSs before and after the exposure to the gases, which are essential in constituting a signal to be detected by the external circuit of the sensor. We strongly believe that our present work would not only advance the knowledge towards the application of Ge-NS-based sensing but also provide motivation for the synthesis of such efficient nanosensor for H2S and SO2 based on Ge monolayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanveer Hussain
- Centre for Theoretical and Computational Molecular Science, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Thanayut Kaewmaraya
- Integrated Nanotechnology Research Center, Department of Physics, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
- Nanotec-KKU Center of Excellence on Advanced Nanomaterials for Energy Production and Storage, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Sudip Chakraborty
- Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Theory Division, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hakkim Vovusha
- Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Theory Division, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Physical Science and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Vittaya Amornkitbamrung
- Integrated Nanotechnology Research Center, Department of Physics, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
- Nanotec-KKU Center of Excellence on Advanced Nanomaterials for Energy Production and Storage, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Rajeev Ahuja
- Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Theory Division, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
- Applied Materials Physics, Department of Materials and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), S-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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Nitrogen-Modified Graphdiyne as a Promising Membrane for Helium Separation: First-Principles and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/ddf.381.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The He separation performance of the N-modified graphdiyne monolayer (N-GDY) was studied by using both the first-principles density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The high cohesive energy of 7.24 eV/atom confirmed the strong stability of N-GDY for a gas separation membrane. Based on the calculations, the N-GDY membrane was found to exhibit extremely high He permeance (4.8 ×10-3 mol/m2·s·Pa at 100 K) and selectivities of He/H2O, He/Ar, He/N2, He/CO, He/CO2, and He/CH4 (102~1012 at 300 K). Therefore, N-GDY should be a good candidate for He separation from natural gas.
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