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Our analysis based on the results of hybrid and semilocal density-functional calculations with and without Hubbard U correction for on-site Coulomb interactions reveals the true magnetic ground states of three transition-metal dichalcogenide monolayers, viz., FeTe2,VS2, and NiTe2, which comprise inhomogeneous magnetic moment configurations. In contrast to earlier studies considering only the magnetic moments of transition-metal atoms, the chalcogen atoms by themselves have significant, antiparallel magnetic moments owing to the spin polarization through p−d hybridization. The latter is found to be true for both H and T phases of FeTe2,VS2, and NiTe2 monolayers. Our predictions show that the FeTe2 monolayer in its lowest-energy structure is a half metal, which prevails under both compressive and tensile strains. Half metallicity occurs also in the FeTe2 bilayer but disappears in thicker multilayers. The VS2 monolayer is a magnetic semiconductor; it has two different band gaps of different character and widths for different spin polarization. The NiTe2 monolayer, which used to be known as a nonmagnetic metal, is indeed a magnetic metal with a small magnetic moment. These monolayers with intriguing electronic and magnetic properties can attain new functionalities for spintronic applications.

Soon after the synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin black phosphorus and fabrication of field effect transistors thereof, theoretical studies have predicted that other group-VA elements (or pnictogens), N, As, Sb, and Bi can also form stable, single-layer (SL) structures. These were nitrogene in a buckled honeycomb structure, arsenene, antimonene, and bismuthene in a buckled honeycomb, as well as washboard and square-octagon structures with unusual mechanical, electronic, and optical properties. Subsequently, theoretical studies are followed by experimental efforts that aim at synthesizing these novel 2D materials. Currently, research on 2D pnictogens has been a rapidly growing field revealing exciting properties, which offers diverse applications in flexible electronics, spintronics, thermoelectrics, and sensors. This review presents an evaluation of the previous experimental and theoretical studies until 2019, in order to provide input for further research attempts in this field. To this end, we first reviewed 2D, SL structures of group-VA elements predicted by theoretical studies with an emphasis placed on their dynamical and thermal stabilities, which are crucial for their use in a device. The mechanical, electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of the stable structures and their nanoribbons are analyzed by examining the effect of external factors, such as strain, electric field, and substrates. The effect of vacancy defects and functionalization by chemical doping through adatom adsorption on the fundamental properties of pnictogens has been a critical subject. Interlayer interactions in bilayer and multilayer structures, their stability, and tuning their physical properties by vertical stacking geometries are also discussed. Finally, our review is concluded by highlighting new research directions and future perspectives on the challenges in this emerging field.

Interaction between two surfaces in relative motion can give rise to energy dissipation and hence sliding friction. A significant portion of the energy is dissipated through the creation of non-equilibrium phonons. Recent advances in material synthesis have made the production of specific single layer honeycomb structures and their multilayer phases, such as graphene, graphane, fluorographene, MoS2 and WO2. When coated to the moving surfaces, the attractive interaction between these layers is normally very weak and becomes repulsive at large separation under loading force. Providing a rigorous quantum mechanical treatment for the 3D sliding motion under a constant loading force within Prandtl-Tomlinson model, we derive the critical stiffness required to avoid stick-slip motion. Also these nanostructures acquire low critical stiffness even under high loading force due to their charged surfaces repelling each other. The intrinsic stiffness of these materials exceeds critical stiffness and thereby thematerials avoid stick-slip regime and attain nearly dissipationless continuous sliding. Remarkably, layered WO2 a much better performance as compared to others and promises a potential superlubricant nanocoating. The absence of mechanical instabilities leading to conservative lateral forces is also confirmed directly by the simulations of sliding layers. Graphene coated metal surfaces also attain superlubricity and hence nearly frictionless sliding through a charge exchange mechanism with metal surface. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.

The growth of the 3√×3√ reconstructed silicene on Ag substrate has been frequently observed in experiments while its atomic structure and formation mechanism is poorly understood. Here, by first-principles calculations, we show that 3√×3√ reconstructed silicene is constituted by dumbbell units of Si atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern. Our model shows excellent agreement with the experimentally reported lattice constant and STM image. We propose a new mechanism for explaining the spontaneous and consequential formation of 3√×3√ structures from 3×3 structures on Ag substrate. We show that the 3√×3√ reconstruction is mainly determined by the interaction between Si atoms and have weak influence from Ag substrate. The proposed mechanism opens the path to understanding of multilayer silicon. ©2014 American Physical Society

With the synthesis of a single atomic plane of graphite, namely, graphene honeycomb structure, a new perspective for carbon-based electronics is opened. The one-dimensional graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have different band-gap values depending on their edge shape and width. In this contribution, we report our results showing that repeated heterostructures of GNRs of different widths form multiple quantum-well structures. The widths of the constituent parts as well as the bandgap, and also the magnetic ground state of the superlattices are modulated in direct space. We provide detailed analysis of these structures and show that superlattices with armchair edge shapes can be used as resonant tunneling devices and those with zigzag edge shape have unique features for spintronic applications. We also discuss another route of functionalizing 2D graphene, 1D GNR, and superlattices with 3d-transition metal (TM) atom adsorption. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.

Based on first-principles density functional theory and finite temperature molecular dynamics calculations, we predict that H 2O can be dissociated into its constituents O and H at specific vacancy defects of single-layer MoS 2 honeycomb structure, which subsequently are bound to fourfolded Mo and twofolded S atoms surrounding the vacancy, respectively. This exothermic and spontaneous process occurs, since the electronegativity and ionization energy of Mo are smaller than those of H. Once desorbed from twofolded S atoms, H atoms migrate readily on the MoS 2 surface and eventually form free H 2 molecules to be released from the surface. Present results are critical for acquiring clean and sustainable energy from hydrogen. © 2012 American Physical Society.

We investigate the hydrogen absorption capacity of two tubular structures, namely, B Be -substituted single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) and Ti covered single-wall boron nitride nanotube (SWBNT) using first-principles plane wave method. The interaction of H2 molecules with the outer surface of bare SWBNT, which is normally very weak, can be significantly enhanced upon functionalization by Ti atoms. Each Ti atom adsorbed on SWBNT can bind up to four H2 molecules with an average binding energy suitable for room temperature storage. While the substitution process of Be atom on SWNT is endothermic, the substituted Be strengthens the interaction between tube surface and H2 to hold one H2 molecule. © 2007 The American Physical Society.

Mechanical properties, atomic and energy band structures of bare and hydrogen-passivated Sin Gen nanowire superlattices have been investigated by using first-principles pseudopotential plane-wave method. Undoped, tetrahedral Si and Ge nanowire segments join pseudomorphically and can form superlattice with atomically sharp interface. We found that Sin nanowires are stiffer than Gen nanowires. Hydrogen passivation makes these nanowires and Sin Gen nanowire superlattice even more stiff. Upon heterostructure formation, superlattice electronic states form subbands in momentum space. Band lineups of Si and Ge zones result in multiple quantum wells, where specific states at the band edges and in band continua are confined. The electronic structure of the nanowire superlattice depends on the length and cross section geometry of constituent Si and Ge segments. Since bare Si and Ge nanowires are metallic and the band gaps of hydrogenated ones vary with the diameter, Sin Gen superlattices offer numerous alternatives for multiple quantum well devices with their leads made from the constituent metallic nanowires.

Electronic and atomic structures of the clean and As- and Te-covered Si(211) surface are studied using pseudopotential density-functional method. The clean surface is found to have (2 x 1) and rebonded (1 x 1) reconstructions as stable surface structures, but no π-bonded chain reconstruction. Binding energies of As and Te adatoms at a number of symmetry sites on the ideal and (2 x 1) reconstructed surfaces have been calculated because of their importance in the epitaxial growth of CdTe and other materials on the Si(211) surface. The special symmetry sites on these surfaces having the highest binding energies for isolated As and Te adatoms are identified. But more significantly, several sites are found to be nearly degenerate in binding-energy values. This has important consequences for epitaxial growth processes. Optimal structures calculated for 0.5 monolayer of As and Te coverage reveal that the As adatoms dimerize on the surface while the Te adatoms do not. However, both As- and Te-covered surfaces are found to be metallic in nature.

During epitaxial growth of semiconducting materials using either molecular beam epitaxy or organometallic vapour deposition, the addition of a surfactant can enhance two-dimensional layer-by-layer growth. This modified growth process is now called the surfactant-mediated growth (SMG) method. It has had an important impact on the development of technologically important materials in device applications, such as heterostructures used for laser applications. Recent developments that use surfactants to improve doping profiles in semiconducting systems and antisurfactants (ASMG) to grow quantum dots further ensure that SMG/ASMG will play a major role in the future development of optoelectronic materials and nanoparticles. In this paper, we review important earlier experimental work involving the SMG method as well as some recent developments. Theoretical work involving first-principles methods and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are discussed but confined only to the surfactant effect.

We perform first principles density functional calculations to investigate the adsorption of Te on the Si(0 0 1) surface from low coverage up to a monolayer coverage. At low coverage, a Te atom is adsorbed on top of the Si surface dimer bond. At higher coverages, Te atoms adsorption causes the Si-Si dimer bond to break, lifting the (2 × 1) reconstruction. We find no evidence of the Te-Te dimer bond formation as a possible source of the (2 × 1) reconstruction at a monolayer coverage. Finite temperature ab initio molecular dynamics calculations show that Te covered Si(0 0 1) surfaces do not have any definitive reconstruction. Vibrations of the bridged Te atoms in the strongly anharmonic potentials prevent the reconstruction structure from attaining any permanent, two-dimensional periodic geometry. This explains why experiments attempting to find a definite model for the reconstruction reached conflicting conclusions. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

We present a formalism for an atomic scale study of phononic heat transfer. The expression of thermal energy current can be cast in the Landauer form and incorporates the transmission coefficient explicitly. Calculation of the thermal conductance of a monoatomic chain of N atoms between two reservoirs shows interesting quantum features. The conductance density appears as Lorentzian type resonances at the eigenfrequencies of the chain. At low-temperature limit the discrete vibrational frequency spectrum of a "soft" chain may reflect on the thermal conductance by giving rise to a sudden increase. At room temperature, the conductance through a "stiff" chain may oscillate with the number of chain atoms. The obtained quantum features are compared with similar effects found in the quantized electrical conductance.

Nanowires, point contacts and metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes are one-dimensional nanostructures which display important size-dependent quantum effects. Quantization due to the transverse confinement and resultant finite level spacing of electronic and phononic states are responsible for some novel effects. Many studies have revealed fundamental and technologically important properties, which are being explored for fabricating future nanodevices. Various simulation studies based on the classical molecular dynamics method and combined force and current measurements have shown the relationship between atomic structure and transport properties. The atomic, electronic and transport properties of these nanostructures have been an area of active research. This brief review presents some quantum effects in the electronic and phononic transport through nanowires.

We present a first-principles study to elucidate the nature of the bonding, stability, energetics, and dynamics of individual X8H8 molecules (X = C, Si, Ge). The results obtained from both "local basis" and "pseudopotential" ab initio methods are in good agreement with the experimental data that exists for cubane (C8H8). The trends among these molecules are reminiscent of those prevailing in the bulk solids of C, Si, and Ge. High-temperature dynamics and fragmentation of X8H8 were studied by the quantum molecular dynamics method which shows that at high temperatures cubane is transformed to the 8-fold ring structure of cyclooctotetraene.

We analyzed the dynamics of xenon atoms as lubricant between two Ni(110) slabs in relative motion. Atomic simulations are carried out by using classical molecular dynamics with realistic empirical potentials, where nickel as well as xenon atoms are relaxed. The resistance of the xenon layer against the loading force is examined and critical forces are determined to destroy the lubricant layer at different coverages. The relative motion of slabs in the lateral direction is investigated under constant normal force as a function of coverage ranging from zero to the monolayer xenon. Important lubrication properties of xenon atoms are analyzed by calculating the variation of potential energy, lateral force, and local hydrodynamic pressure. It is predicted that the corrugation of the potential energy associated with the sliding has a minimum value at submonolayer coverage. A phononic energy dissipation mechanism together with the theoretical analysis is proposed.

We have developed a microscopic model of phononic energy dissipation in friction that involves the generation of a local excess phonon distribution in a nanoparticle between two sliding objects, and its damping into the objects. The conversion of the energy stored in the nanoparticle into excess phonons and their decay rates are calculated. The model can be extended to include randomly distributed nanoparticles and phonon-phonon interaction through anharmonic couplings. By using this model we present a quantitative analysis of energy dissipation in sliding friction.

We investigate conductance through contacts created by pressing a hard tip, as used in scanning tunneling microscopy, against substrates. Two different substrates are considered, one a normal metal (Cu) and another a semi-metal (graphite). Our study involves the molecular dynamics simulations for the atomic structure during the growth of the contact, and selfconsistent field electronic structure calculations of deformed bodies. We develop a theory predicting the conductance variations as the tip approaches the surface. We offer an explanation for a quasiperiodic variation of conductance of the contact on the graphite surface, a behavior which is dramatically different from contacts on normal metals.

This paper presents an atomic-scale study of contact, indentation, and subsequent pulling and dry sliding of a sharp and blunt metal tip on a metal surface. The evolution of atomic structure and the variation of perpendicular and lateral forces are calculated by molecular-dynamics methods using an empirical potential based on the embedded-atom model. The sharp tip experiences multiple jumps to contact in the attractive force range. The contact interface grows discontinuously mainly due to disorder-order transformation leading to disappearance of a layer and hence abrupt changes in the normal-force variation. Atom exchange occurs in the repulsive range. During the pulling off, the connective neck is reduced discontinuously; however, not all the abrupt changes of the pulling force are associated with the creation of a new layer in the neck. The sliding of the sharp tip (or single asperity) induces two consecutive structural transformations that occur periodically, but end with the wear of a layer. The situation for a blunt tip is, however, quite different.

Simulations of dry sliding friction between a metal asperity and an incommensurate metal surface reveal unusual atomic processes. The lateral force exhibits a quasiperiodic variation with the displacement of an asperity; each period consists of two different stick-slip processes involving structural transitions. While one layer of asperity changes and matches the substrate lattice in the first slip, two asperity layers merge into a new one through a structural transition during the second slip. This leads to wear. The lateral force decreases abruptly during these slip stages, but it increases between two consecutive slips and resists the relative motion. The analysis of the order suggests that each structural transition is associated with a first-order phase transition. Nonadiabatic atomic rearrangements during these phase transitions involve a new kind of mechanism of energy dissipation in the dry sliding friction.

This paper presents a detailed analysis of conductance and atomic structure in metal nanowires under tensile stress. We calculate the variation of conductance with the crossection of the constriction between two reservoirs, that is represented by three-dimensional circularly symmetric potentials. The absence of several observed features in the calculated conductance variations, in particular sudden jumps, suggests that the discontinuous rearrangements of atoms under stretch dominate the electron transport. To analyze the variations of atomic structure, we performed simulations based on the state of the art molecular dynamics simulations and revealed novel structural transformations. It is found that yielding and fracture mechanisms depend on the geometry, size, atomic arrangement and temperature. The elongation under uniaxial stress is realized by consecutive quasi elastic and yielding stages; the neck develops mainly by the implementation of a layer with a smaller crossection at certain stages of elongation. This causes to an abrupt decrease of the tensile force. Owing to the excessive strain at the neck, the original structure and atomic registry are modified; atoms show tendency to rearrange in closed-packed structures. In certain circumstances, a bundle of atomic chains or single atomic chain forms as a result of transition from the hallow site to the top site registry shortly before the break. The origin of the observed "giant" yield strength is explained by using results of present simulations and ab initio calculations of total energy and Young's modulus for an infinite atomic chain.

We present a theoretical study of dry sliding friction, which has a close bearing on the experiments done by using the atomic and friction force microscope. By performing atomic-scale calculations for the friction between a single atom and monoatomic infinite chain, we examined the effect of various material parameters on the stick-slip motion. We found that the perpendicular elastic deformation of the substrate that is induced by the sliding object is crucial for the energy damping in friction. In this case, the average friction force strongly depends on the perpendicular force constant of the substrate and the friction constant varies with the normal force. In particular, soft materials that continue to be elastic for a wide range of perpendicular compression may exhibit a second state. As a result, the hysteresis curve in the stick-slip motion becomes anisotropic.

In this paper we present an analysis of conduction through a single atom between two metal electrodes. Based on ab initio total-energy and electronic-structure calculations, and molecular-dynamics simulations using the embedded-atom model, we show that the conductance through an atom depends on the electronic structure of both the single atom and the metal electrodes, as well as the binding structure between the single atom and the surfaces of the metal electrodes. Our results enable us to interpret experimental results obtained by using a mechanical break junction on atomic-scale wires.

This paper presents a detailed analysis of atomic structure and force variations in metal nanowires under tensile strain. Our work is based on state of the art molecular dynamics simulations and ab initio self-consistent field calculations within the local density approximation, and predicts structural transformations. It is found that yielding and fracture mechanisms depend on the size, atomic arrangement, and temperature. The elongation under uniaxial stress is realized by consecutive quasielastic and yielding stages; the neck develops by the migration of atoms, but mainly by the sequential implementation of a new layer with a smaller cross section at certain ranges of uniaxial strain. This causes an abrupt decrease of the tensile force. Owing to the excessive strain at the neck, the original structure and atomic registry are modified; atoms show a tendency to rearrange in closed-packed structures. In certain circumstances, a bundle of atomic chains or a single atomic chain forms as a result of transition from the hollow site to the top site registry shortly before the break. The wire is represented by a linear combination of atomic pseudopotentials and the current is calculated to investigate the correlation between conductance variations and atomic rearrangements of the wire during the stretch. The origin of the observed "giant" yield strength is explained by using results of the present simulations and ab initio calculations of the total energy and Young's modulus for an infinite atomic chain.

We present the theoretical study of the controlled lateral and perpendicular motion of Xe on the Pt(111) surface. The lateral translation of Xe is manipulated by a tungsten tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. Using molecular statics and dynamics the energetics and different modes of atom translation are revealed. In the controlled and reversible transfer of Xe between two flat Pt(111) surfaces, effective charge on Xe, and the dipole moment of the Xe-Pt bond, are calculated as functions of the Xe-surface separation. The contributions of various mechanisms to the transfer rate of Xe are investigated by using the calculated quantum states of Xe under the applied bias voltage. These are tunneling and ballistic transfer, dipole excitation and excitation due to resonant tunneling of electrons, and electron wind force. We found that a single power law for the transfer rate does not exist in the whole range of applied pulse voltage. At high pulse voltage the transfer rate is dominated by the inelastic electron tunneling. At low pulse voltage the rate due to thermally assisted tunneling and ballistic transfer becomes important.