1. Strain-induced changes of electronic and optical properties of Zr-based MXenes.
- Author
-
Kalmár, Jiří and Karlický, František
- Subjects
- *
OPTICAL properties , *BETHE-Salpeter equation , *ELECTRON configuration , *DENSITY functional theory , *LIGHT absorption , *SOLID state proton conductors - Abstract
Zr-based MXenes recently attracted attention because of its experimental preparation showing temperature stability, mechanical strength, and promising energy, sensoric, and electrochemistry applications. However, necessary theoretical predictions at a precise/predictive level are complicated due to essential excitonic features and strong electron correlation (i.e., a necessity to go beyond standard density functional theory, DFT). Contrary to the prevailing focus on oxygen-terminated MXenes and standard predictions of other Zr-based MXenes as conductors, based on the hybrid DFT and GW many-body perturbational theory, we were able to find seven different semiconductors (five of them for their equilibrium geometry and two others under slight tensile biaxial strain) in the case of two- and three-layered Z r 2 C T 2 and Z r 3 C 2 T 2 configurations with various terminations (T = O, F, S, Cl). We observed semiconductor-to-conductor transition induced by strain in the majority of such Zr-based MXenes at an experimentally achievable strain range. Furthermore, using the Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE), we demonstrated that selected semiconducting Zr-based MXenes possess high optical absorption efficiency (20%–30%) in the visible light range, underscoring their potential in photonic applications. The high sensitivity of Zr-based MXenes to external conditions and functionalization combined with the thermal stability makes the materials promising for applications at operational temperatures in electronic and optical technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF