Theoretical study of the CO, NO, and N2 adsorptions on Li-decorated graphene and boron-doped graphene

The adsorption properties of common gas molecules (CO, NO, and N2) on the surface of Li-decorated pristine graphene and Li-decorated boron doped graphene are investigated using density functional theory. The adsorption energy, charge transfer, and density of states of gas molecules on three surfaces have been calculated and discussed, respectively. The results show that Li-decorated pristine graphene has strong interaction with CO and N2. Compared with Li-decorated pristine graphene, Li-decorated boron doped graphene exhibit a comparable adsorption ability of CO and N2. Moreover, Li-decorated boron doped graphene have a more significant adsorption energy to NO than that of Li-decorated pristine graphene because of the chemical interaction of the NO gas molecule. The strong interaction between the NO molecule and substrate (Li-decorated boron doped graphene) induces dramatic changes to the electrical conductivity of Li-decorated boron doped graphene. The results indicate that Li-decorated boron doped graphene would be an excellent candidate for sensing NO gas.