Structural, optical, electronic, and mechanical properties of 2D BxCyNz-based Materials
2D Materials, Mechanical Properties, Electronic Properties, Strain, Band Structure, DFT, Siesta.
Developments in nanotechnology since the synthesis of graphene have enabled the investigation of other two-dimensional (2D)
materials, with interesting optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. Given the great diversity of potential applications,
these new materials have been intensively studied in recent years. Still, the absence of a bandgap (or a very minute one) may
limit their application in digital nanoelectronics. However, there are ways to regulate the energy between the valence and
conduction bands of a material, thus enabling a new range of applications in electronic circuits. For example, this can be
accomplished by applying strain, doping a pure carbon allotrope with atoms like boron and nitrogen, or yet using other
materials as Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN). For other applications, such as wearable electronic device systems, the behavior
of the structure under deformation is vital, since in such systems, the material may be subjected to a degree of deformation that
might compromise its functionality. This work proposes to investigate, through Density Functional Theory simulations, novel
carbon allotropes and BCN based 2D materials, as well as the electronic, optical and structural properties of either pure or
hybrid structures, both relaxed and under strain. Stress-strain curves were obtained from the calculations and the mechanical
properties of the chosen materials characterized. Furthermore, through band structure and \acrfull{dos} calculations, we
investigate how the gap energy varies with controlled deformation. Our results show that for 2D fullerene-based materials,
minor changes in composition can lead to considerable bandgap variation, but it does not significantly affect optical properties.
They may be used to protect against high-energy ultraviolet or low-energy infrared photons.