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Wenhui Wan

Publications and source records attributed to Wenhui Wan.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Diverse magnetism in stable and metastable structures of CrTe

In this paper, we systematically investigated the structural and magnetic properties of CrTe by combining particle swarm optimization algorithm and first-principles calculations. With the electronic correlation effect considered, we predicted the ground-state structure of CrTe to be NiAs-type (space group P63/mmc) structure at ambient pressure, consistent with the experimental observation. Moreover, we found two extra meta-stable Cmca and R3m structure which have negative formation enthalpy and stable phonon dispersion at ambient pressure. The Cmca structure is a layered antiferromagnetic metal. The cleaved energy of a single layer is 0.464 J/m2, indicating the possible synthesis of CrTe monolayer. R3m structure is a ferromagnetic half-metal. When the pressure was applied, the ground-state structure of CrTe transitioned from P63/mmc to R3m, then to Fm3m structure at a pressure about 34 and 42 GPa, respectively. We thought these results help to motivate experimental studies the CrTe compounds in the application of spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

High Curie Temperature Ferromagnetic Semiconductor: Bimetal Transition Iodide V$_2$Cr$_2$I$_9$

Bimetal transition iodides in two-dimensional scale provide an interesting idea to combine a set of single-transition-metal ferromagnetic semiconductors together. Motivated by structural engineering on bilayer CrI$_3$ to tune its magnetism and works that realize ideal properties by stacking van der Waals transitional metal dichalcogenides in a certain order. Here we stack monolayer VI$_3$ onto monolayer CrI$_3$ with a middle-layer I atoms discarded to construct monolayer V$_2$Cr$_2$I$_9$. Based on this crystal model, the stable and metastable phases are determined among 7 possible phases by first-principles calculations. It is illustrated that both the two phases have Curie temperature $\sim$ 6 (4) times higher than monolayer CrI$_3$ and VI$_3$. The reason can be partly attributed to their large magnetic anisotropy energy (the maximum value reaches 412.9 $μ$eV/atom). More importantly, the Curie temperature shows an electric field and strain dependent character and can even surpass room temperature under a moderate strain range. At last, we believe that the bimetal transition iodide V$_2$Cr$_2$I$_9$ monolayer would support potential opportunities for spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Large magnetic anisotropy energy and robust half-metallic ferromagnetism in 2D MnXSe$_4$ (X = As, Sb)

In recent years, intrinsic two-dimensional (2D) magnetism aroused great interest because of its potential application in spintronic devices. However, low Curie temperature (\emph{T}$_c$) and magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) limit its application prospects. Here, using first-principles calculations based on density-functional theory (DFT), we predicted a series of stable MnXSe$_4$ (X=As, Sb) single-layer. The MAE of single-layer MnAsSe$_4$ and MnSbSe$_4$ was 648.76 and 808.95 $μ$eV per Mn atom, respectively. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations suggested the \emph{T}$_c$ of single-layer MnAsSe$_4$ and MnSbSe$_4$ was 174 and 250 K, respectively. The energy band calculation with hybrid Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE06) function indicated the MnXSe$_4$ (X = As, Sb) were ferromagnetic (FM) half-metallic. Also it had 100\% spin-polarization ratio at the Fermi level. For MnAsSe$_4$ and MnSbSe$_4$, the spin-gap were 1.59 and 1.48 eV, respectively. These excellent magnetic properties render MnXSe$_4$ (X = As, Sb) promising candidate materials for 2D spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Robust intrinsic ferromagnetism in 2D half-metallic material MnAsS$_4$

Two-dimensional (2D) intrinsic half-metallic materials are of great interest to explore the exciting physics and applications of nanoscale spintronic devices, but no such materials have been experimentally realized. Using first-principles calculations based on density-functional theory (DFT), we predicted that single-layer MnAsS$_4$ was a 2D intrinsic ferromagnetic (FM) half-metal. The half-metallic spin gap for single-layer MnAsS$_4$ is about 1.46 eV, and it has a large spin splitting of about 0.49 eV in the conduction band. Monte Carlo simulations predicted the Curie temperature (\emph{T}$_c$) was about 740 K. Moreover, Within the biaxial strain ranging from -5\% to 5\%, the FM half-metallic properties remain unchanged. Its ground-state with 100\% spin-polarization ratio at Fermi level may be a promising candidate material for 2D spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Electronic Transport of Two-Dimensional Ultrawide Bandgap Material h-BeO

Two-dimensional ultrawide bandgap materials, with bandgaps significantly wider than 3.4 eV, have compelling potential advantages in nano high-power semiconductor, deep-ultraviolet optoelectronics, and so on. Recently, two-dimensional layered h-BeO has been synthesized in the experiments. In the present work, the first-principles calculations predict that monolayer h-BeO has an indirect bandgap of 7.05 eV with the HSE functional. The ultrawide bandgap results from the two atomic electronegativity difference in the polar h-BeO. And the electronic transport properties are also systematically investigated by using the Boltzmann transport theory. The polar LO phonons of h-BeO can generate the macroscopic polarization field and strongly couple to electrons by the Frohlich interaction. Limited by the electron-phonon scattering, monolayer h-BeO has a high mobility of 473 cm^2/Vs at room temperature. Further studies indicate that the biaxial tensile strain can reduce the electronic effective mass and enhance the electron-phonon coupling strength. The suitable strain can promote the mobility to ~1000 cm^2/Vs at room temperature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

First-principles prediction into robust high-performance photovoltaic double perovskites A$_{2}$SiI$_{6}$ (A = K, Rb, Cs)

Despite the exceeding 23\% photovoltaic efficiency achieved in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells obtaining, the stable materials with desirable band gap are rare and are highly desired. With the aid of first-principles calculations, we predict a new promising family of nontoxic inorganic double perovskites (DPs), namely, silicon (Si)-based halides A$_{2}$SiI$_{6}$ (A = K, Rb, Cs; X = Cl, Br, I). This family containing the earth-abundant Si could be applied for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Particularly A$_{2}$SiI$_{6}$ exhibits superb physical traits, including suitable band gaps of 0.84-1.15 eV, dispersive lower conduction bands, small carrier effective masses, wide photon absorption in the visible range. Importantly, the good stability at high temperature renders them as promising optical absorbers for solar cells.

physics.app-ph↗

High-Temperature Ferromagnetic Semiconductors: Janus Monolayer Vanadium Trihalides

Two-dimensional (2D) intrinsic ferromagnetic semiconductors are expected to stand out in the spintronic field. Recently, the monolayer VI$_{3}$ has been experimentally synthesized but the weak ferromagnetism and low Curie temperature ($T_C$) limit its potential application. Here we report that the Janus structure can elevate the $T_C$ to 240 K. And it is discussed that the reason for high $T_C$ in Janus structure originates from the lower virtual exchange gap between $t_{2g}$ and $e_{g}$ states of nearest-neighbor V atoms. Besides, $T_C$ can be further substantially enhanced by tensile strain due to the increasing ferromagnetism driven by rapidly quenched direct exchange interaction. Our work supports a feasible approach to enhance Curie temperature of monolayer VI$_{3}$ and unveils novel stable intrinsic FM semiconductors for realistic applications in spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Theoretical study of structure and magnetism of Ga$_{1-x}$V$_x$Sb compounds for spintronic applications

In this paper, the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Zinc-blende Ga1-xVxSb compounds, with x from dilute doping situation to extreme doping limiting, were systematically investigated by first-principles calculations. V atoms prefer to substitute the Ga atoms and the formation energy is lower in Sb-rich than Ga-rich growth condition. Meantime, the SbGa antisite defects can effectively decrease the energy barrier of substitution process, from 0.85 eV to 0.53 eV. The diffusion of V atom in GaSb lattice is through meta-stable interstitial sites with an energy barrier of 0.6 eV. At a low V concentration x = 0.0625, V atoms prefer a homogeneous distribution and an antiferromagnetic coupling among them. However, starting from x = 0.5, the magnetic coupling among V atoms changes to be ferromagnetic, due to enhanced superexchange interaction between eg and t2g states of neighbouring V atoms. At the extreme limiting of x = 1.00, we found that Zinc-blende VSb as well as its analogs VAs and VP are intrinsic ferromagneitc semiconductors, with a large change of light absorption at the curie temperature. These results indicate that Ga1-xVxSb compounds can provide a platform to design the new electronic, spintronic and optoelectronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Modulation of heat transport in two-dimensional group-III chalcogenides

We systematically investigated the modulation of heat transport of experimentally accessible two-dimensional (2D) group-III chalcogenides by firstprinciples calculations. It was found that intrinsic thermal conductivity (kappa) of chalcogenides MX (M = Ga, In; X = S, Se) were desirable for efficient heat dissipation. Meanwhile, we showed that the long-range anharmonic interactions played an important role in heat transport of the chalcogenides. The difference of kappa among the 2D group-III chalcogenides can be well described by the Slack model and can be mainly attributed to phonon group velocity. Based on that, we proposed three methods including strain engineering, size effect and making Janus structures to effectively modulate the kappa of 2D group-III chalcogenides, with different underlying mechanisms. We found that tensile strain and rough boundary scattering could continuously decrease the kappa while compressive strain could increase the kappa of 2D group-III chalcogenides. On the other side, the change of kappa by producing Janus structures is permanent and dependent on the structural details. These results provide guilds to modulate heat transport properties of 2D group-III chalcogenides for devices application

physics.comp-ph↗

Large thermoelectric power factor of high-mobility 1T'' phase of transition-metal dichalcogenides

The experimental studies about monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides in the recent year reveal this kind of compounds have many metastable phases with unique physical properties, not just 1H phases. Here, we focus on the 1T'' phase and systematically investigate the electronic structures and transport properties of MX2 (M=Mo, W; X=S, Se, Te) using the first-principles calculations with Boltzmann transport theory. And among them, only three molybdenum compounds has small direct bandgap at K point, which derive from the distortion of octahedral-coordination [MoS6]. For these three cases, hole carrier mobility of MoSe2 is estimated as 690 cm^2/Vs at room temperature, far more high than that of other two MoX2. For the reason, the combination of the modest carrier effective mass and weak electron-phonon coupling lead to the outstanding transport performance of MoSe2. The Seebeck coefficient of MoSe2 is also evaluated as high as 300 10^-6 V/K at room temperature. Due to the temperature dependent mobility of T^-1.9 and higher Seebeck coefficient at low temperature, it is found that MoSe2 has a large thermoelectric power factor around 6 10^-3 W/mK^2 in the low to intermediate temperature range. The present results suggests 1T'' MoSe2 maybe a excellent candidate for thermoelectric material.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Strain-tunable magnetic order and electronic structure in 2D CrAsS$_4$

The effect of strain on the magnetic order and band structure of single-layer CrAsS$_4$ has been investigated by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. We found that single-layer CrAsS$_4$ was an antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconductor, and would have a phase transition from AFM state to ferromagnetic (FM) state by applying a uniaxial tensile strain of 2.99\% along the y-direction or compressive strain of 1.76\% along the x-direction. The underlying physical mechanism of strain-dependent magnetic stability was further elucidated as the result of the competition between the direct exchange and indirect superexchange interactions. Moreover, band gap exhibit a abrupt change along with phase transition of magnetic order. Our study provides an intuitional approach to design strain-modulated spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Two Dimensional Ferromagnetic Semiconductor: Monolayer CrGeS$_3$

Recently, two-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductors have been an important class of materials for many potential applications in spintronic devices. Based on density functional theory, we systematically explore the magnetic and electronic properties of CrGeS$_3$ with the monolayer structures. The comparison of total energy between different magnetic states ensures the ferromagnetic ground state of monolayer CrGeS$_3$. It is also shown that ferromagnetic and semiconducting properties are exhibited in monolayer CrGeS$_3$ with the magnetic moment of 3 $μ_{B}$ for each Cr atom, donated mainly by the intense $dp$$σ$-hybridization of Cr $e_g$-S $p$. There are the bandgap of 0.70 eV of spin-up state in the monolayer structure when 0.77 eV in spin-down state. The global gap is 0.34 eV (2.21 eV by using HSE06 functional), which originates from bonding $dpσ$ hybridized states of Cr $e_g$-S $p$ and unoccupied Cr $t_{2g}$-Ge $p$ hybridization. Besides, we estimate that the monolayer CrGeS$_3$ possesses the Curie temperature of 161 K by mean-field theory.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Phonon and electron transport in Janus monolayers based on InSe

We systematically investigated the phonon and electron transport properties of monolayer InSe and its Janus derivatives including monolayer In2SSe and In2SeTe by first-principles calculations. The breaking of mirror symmetry produce a distinguishable A1 peak in the Raman spectra of monolayer In2SSe and In2SeTe. The room-temperature thermal conductivity (\k{appa}) of monolayer InSe, In2SSe and In2SeTe is 44.6, 46.9, and 29.9 W/(m K), respectively. There is a competition effect between atomic mass, phonon group velocity and phonon lifetime. The \k{appa} can be further effectively modulated by sample size for the purpose of thermoelectric applications. Meanwhile, monolayer In2SeTe exhibits a direct band and higher electron mobility than that of monolayer InSe, due to the smaller electron effective mass caused by tensile strain on the Se side. These results indicate that 2D Janus group-III chalcogenides can provide a platform to design the new electronic, optoelectronic and thermoelectric devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of Mn-doped GaSb: a first-principles study

Half-metallic ferromagnets can produce fully spin-polarized conduction electrons and can be applied to fabricate spintronic devices. Thus, in this study, the electronic structure, magnetic properties, and optical properties of GaSb, which has exhibited half-metallicity, doped with Mn, a 3d transition metal, are calculated using the generalized gradient approximation and Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) functional. Ga$_{1-x}$Mn$_x$Sb ($x = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75$) materials exhibit ferromagnetic half-metallic properties and a high Curie temperature, indicating that this series can applied in spintronic devices. Meanwhile, they absorb strongly in the infrared band, suggesting that Ga$_{1-x}$Mn$_{x}$Sb also has potential applications in infrared photoelectric devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Strong phonon anharmonicity and low thermal conductivity of monolayer tin oxides driven by lone-pair electrons

Motivated by the excellent electronic and optoelectronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) tin oxides, we systematically investigated the thermal conductivity of monolayer SnO and SnO2by the first-principles calculations. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of monolayer SnO and SnO2reaches 9.6 W/(mK) and 98.8 W/(mK), respectively. The size effect is much weaker for monolayer SnO than for monolayer SnO2, due to the coexistence of size dependent and independent component in the thermal conductivity of monolayer SnO. The large difference between the thermal conductivity of 2D tin oxides can be attributed to the small phonon group velocity and strong anharmonicity strength of monolayer SnO. Further electronic structure analysis reveals that the existence of lone-pair Sn-5s electrons is the key factor for the small \k{appa} of monolayer SnO. These results provide a guide for the manipulation of thermal transport in the electronic or thermoelectric devices based on 2D tin oxides.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

The direct and indirect optical absorptions of cubic BAs and BSb

Recently, boron arsenide (BAs) has been measured high thermal conductivity in the experiments, great encouraging for the low-power photoelectric devices. Therefore, in the present work, we have systematically investigated the direct and indirect optical absorptions of BAs and BSb and the doping effect of congeners by using first-principles calculations. We obtain the absorption onset corresponding to the value of indirect bandgap by considering the phonon-assisted second-order optical absorptions. And the redshift of absorption onset, enhancement and smoothness of optical absorptions spectra are also captured in the temperature-dependent calculations. In order to introduce one-order absorptions into the visible range, the doping effect of congeners on optical absorptions is studied without the assists of phonon. It is found that the decrease of local direct bandgap after doping derives from either the small bandgap in the prototypical III-V semiconductors or CBM locating at R$_c$ point. Thus, doping of congeners can improve the direct optical absorptions in visible range.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Hexagonal MASnI$_3$ exhibiting strong absorption of ultraviolet photons

MASnI$_3$, an organometallic halide, has great potential in the field of lead-free perovskite solar cells. Ultraviolet photons have been shown to generate deep trapping electronic defects in mesoporous TiO$_2$-based perovskite, affecting its performance and stability. In this study, the structure, electronic properties, and optical properties of the cubic, tetragonal, and hexagonal phases of MASnI$_3$ were studied using first-principles calculations. The results indicate that the hexagonal phase of MASnI$_3$ possesses a larger indirect band gap and larger carrier effective mass along the \emph{c}-axis compared with the cubic and tetragonal phases. These findings were attributed to the enhanced electronic coupling and localization in the hexagonal phase. Moreover, the hexagonal phase exhibited high absorption of ultraviolet photons and high transmission of visible photons, particularly along the \emph{c}-axis. These characteristics demonstrate the potential of hexagonal MASnI$_3$ for application in multijunction perovskite tandem solar cells or as coatings in mesoporous TiO$_2$-based perovskite solar cells to enhance ultraviolet stability and photon utilization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

The Doping effect of Chalcogen on the Two-Dimensional Ferromagnetic Material Chromium Tribromide

Recently the discovery of magnetic order in two-dimensional monolayer chromium trihalides opens the new research field in two-dimensional materials. We use first-principles calculations to systematically examine the doping effect of chalcogen on CrBr3. In the case of S-doping, four stable configurations, Cr2Br5S, Cr2Br4S2-A, Cr2Br4S2-B and Cr2Br3S3-A, are predicted to be ferromagnetic semiconductors. It is found that the new bands appearing in the original bandgap are made up of S-p and Cr-d-egorbits, lead to the obvious reduce of bandgap and the enhanced optical absorption in the visible range. Due to the decrease of valence electron after chalcogen doping, the magnetic moment also decreases with the increase of S atoms, and the character of ferromagnetic semiconductor is always hold in a wide range of strain. The results shown that monolayer CrBr3with chalcogen doping supply a effectual way to control the magnetism and extend the optoelectronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗