Band structures of strained kagome lattices

Materials with kagome lattices have attracted significant research attention due to their nontrivial features in energy bands.We theoretically investigate the evolution of electronic band structures of kagome lattices in response to uniaxial strain using both a tight-binding model and an antidot model based on a periodic muffin-tin potential.It is found that the Dirac points move with applied strain.Furthermore,the flat band of unstrained kagome lattices is found to develop into a highly anisotropic shape under a stretching strain along y direction,forming a partially flat band with a region dispersionless along ky direction while dispersive along kx direction.Our results shed light on the possibility of engineering the electronic band structures of kagome materials by mechanical strain.

Optimizing band structure of CoP nanoparticles via rich-defect carbon shell toward bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting

Transition-metal phosphides(TMPs)with high catalytic activity are widely used in the design of electrodes for water splitting.However,a major challenge is how to achieve the trade-off between activity and stability of TMPs.Herein,a novel method for synthesizing CoP nanoparticles encapsu-lated in a rich-defect carbon shell(CoP/DCS)is developed through the self-assembly of modified polycyclic aromatic molecules.The graft and removal of high-activity C-N bonds of aromatic molecules render the controllable design of crystallite defects of carbon shell.The density functional theory calculation indicates that the carbon defects with unpaired electrons could effectively tailor the band structure of CoP.Benefiting from the improved activity and corrosion resistance,the CoP/DCS delivers outstanding difunctional hydrogen evolution reaction(88 mV)and oxygen evolution reaction(251 mV)performances at 10 mA cm^(−2)current density.Furthermore,the coupled water electrolyzer with CoP/DCS as both the cathode and anode presents ultralow cell voltages of 1.49 V to achieve 10 mA cm^(−2)with long-time stability.This strategy to improve TMPs electrocatalyst with rich-DCS and heterogeneous structure will inspire the design of other transition metal compound electrocatalysts for water splitting.

Band structure engineering in metal halide perovskite nanostructures for optoelectronic applications

Metal halide perovskite nanostructures have emerged as low-dimensional semiconductors of great significance in many fields such as photovoltaics,photonics,and optoelectronics.Extensive efforts on the controlled synthesis of perovskite nanostructures have been made towards potential device applications.The engineering of their band structures holds great promise in the rational tuning of the electronic and optical properties of perovskite nanostructures,which is one of the keys to achieving efficient and multifunctional optoelectronic devices.In this article,we summarize recent advances in band structure engineering of perovskite nanostructures.A survey of bandgap engineering of nanostructured perovskites is firstly presented from the aspects of dimensionality tailoring,compositional substitution,phase segregation and transition,as well as strain and pressure stimuli.The strategies of electronic doping are then reviewed,including defect-induced self-doping,inorganic or organic molecules-based chemical doping,and modification by metal ions or nanostructures.Based on the bandgap engineering and electronic doping,discussions on engineering energy band alignments in perovskite nanostructures are provided for building high-performance perovskite p-n junctions and heterostructures.At last,we provide our perspectives in engineering band structures of perovskite nanostructures towards future low-energy optoelectronics technologies.

Effect of Cr/Mn segregation on pearlite–martensite banded structure of high carbon bearing steel

The effect of Cr/Mn segregation on the abnormal banded structure of high carbon bearing steel was studied by reheating and hot rolling.With the use of an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and electron probe microanalyzer, the segregation characteristics of alloying elements in cast billet and their relationship with hot-rolled plate banded structure were revealed.The formation causes of an abnormal banded structure and the elimination methods were analyzed.Results indicate the serious positive segregation of C, Cr, and Mn alloy elements in the billet.Even distribution of Cr/Mn elements could not be achieved after 10 h of heat preservation at 1200℃, and the spacing of the element aggregation area increased, but the segregation index of alloy elements decreased.Obvious alloying element segregation characteristics are present in the banded structure of the hot-rolled plate.This distinct white band is composed of martensitic phases.The formation of this abnormal pearlite–martensite banded structure is due to the interaction between the undercooled austenite transformation behavior of hot-rolled metal and the segregation of its alloying elements.Under the air cooling after rolling, controlling the segregation index of alloy elements can reduce or eliminate the abnormal banded structure.

Band structure calculations of in-plane waves in two-dimensional phononic crystals based on generalized multipole technique

A numerical method, the so-called multiple monopole(MMoP) method,based on the generalized multipole technique(GMT) is proposed to calculate the band structures of in-plane waves in two-dimensional phononic crystals, which are composed of arbitrarily shaped cylinders embedded in a solid host medium. To find the eigenvalues(eigenfrequencies) of the problem, besides the sources used to expand the wave fields, an extra monopole source is introduced which acts as the external excitation. By varying the excitation frequency, the eigenvalues can be localized as the extreme points of an appropriately chosen function. By sweeping the frequency range of interest and the boundary of the irreducible first Brillouin zone(FBZ), the band structures can be obtained. Some typical numerical examples with different acoustic impedance ratios and with inclusions of various shapes are presented to validate the proposed method.

The mechanism of the banded structure of drifting macroalgae in the Yellow Sea

At the end of May 2008,a massive bloom of macroalgae occurred in the western Yellow Sea off China and lasted for nearly two months,and annual blooms have occurred since then on. During bloom period,the surface-drifting macroalgae have showed an interesting pattern dominated by a banded structure,and the distance between neighboring bands ranged from hundreds of meters to about 6 km with a peak at 1–1.5 km,which is an order of higher than the scale of Langmuir circulation of 50–100 m. In order to explain this new phenomenon,ocean current data obtained from a Doppler current profiler off Qingdao was used to implement stability analysis. By numerically solving the resulting differential Orr-Sommerfeld equation,the secondary circulation induced from the instability of the Emkan current was found to fit well with the observed spatial scale of the surface-drifting macroalgae’s banded structure. As the wind driven Emkan current exist universally in the global ocean,it is reasonable to conclude that the banded structure with kilometers distance between adjoining bands is ubiquitous. We found a new circulation in the upper ocean which is important for exchange of energy,materials and gas between the upper ocean and subsurface layer.

Progress on band structure engineering of twisted bilayer and two-dimensional moiré heterostructures

Artificially constructed van der Waals heterostructures(vdWHs)provide an ideal platform for realizing emerging quantum phenomena in condensed matter physics.Two methods for building vdWHs have been developed:stacking two-dimensional(2D)materials into a bilayer structure with different lattice constants,or with different orientations.The interlayer coupling stemming from commensurate or incommensurate superlattice pattern plays an important role in vdWHs for modulating the band structures and generating new electronic states.In this article,we review a series of novel quantum states discovered in two model vdWH systems—graphene/hexagonal boron nitride(hBN)hetero-bilayer and twisted bilayer graphene(tBLG),and discuss how the electronic structures are modified by such stacking and twisting.We also provide perspectives for future studies on hetero-bilayer materials,from which an expansion of 2D material phase library is expected.

Determination of Band Structure of Gallium-Arsenide and Aluminium-Arsenide Using Density Functional Theory

This research paper is on Density Functional Theory (DFT) within Local Density Approximation. The calculation was performed using Fritz Haber Institute Ab-initio Molecular Simulations (FHIAIMS) code based on numerical atomic-centered orbital basis sets. The electronic band structure, total density of state (DOS) and band gap energy were calculated for Gallium-Arsenide and Aluminium-Arsenide in diamond structures. The result of minimum total energy and computational time obtained from the experimental lattice constant 5.63 A for both Gallium Arsenide and Aluminium Arsenide is -114,915.7903 eV and 64.989 s, respectively. The electronic band structure analysis shows that Aluminium-Arsenide is an indirect band gap semiconductor while Gallium-Arsenide is a direct band gap semiconductor. The energy gap results obtained for GaAs is 0.37 eV and AlAs is 1.42 eV. The band gap in GaAs observed is very small when compared to AlAs. This indicates that GaAs can exhibit high transport property of the electron in the semiconductor which makes it suitable for optoelectronics devices while the wider band gap of AlAs indicates their potentials can be used in high temperature and strong electric fields device applications. The results reveal a good agreement within reasonable acceptable errors when compared with the theoretical and experimental values obtained in the work of Federico and Yin wang [1] [2].

Interface-induced topological phase and doping-modulated bandgap of two-dimensioanl graphene-like networks

Biphenylene is a new topological material that has attracted much attention recently.By amplifying its size of unit cell,we construct a series of planar structures as homogeneous carbon allotropes in the form of polyphenylene networks.We first use the low-energy effective model to prove the topological three periodicity for these allotropes.Then,through first-principles calculations,we show that the topological phase has the Dirac point.As the size of per unit cell increases,the influence of the quaternary rings decreases,leading to a reduction in the anisotropy of the system,and the Dirac cone undergoes a transition from type II to type I.We confirm that there are two kinds of non-trivial topological phases with gapless and gapped bulk dispersion.Furthermore,we add a built-in electric field to the gapless system by doping with B and N atoms,which opens a gap for the bulk dispersion.Finally,by manipulating the built-in electric field,the dispersion relations of the edge modes will be transformed into a linear type.These findings provide a hopeful approach for designing the topological carbon-based materials with controllable properties of edge states.

Electronic Band Structure and Heat Capacity Calculation of Some TlX (X = Sb, Bi) Compounds

The tight binding linear muffin-tin-orbital (TB-LMTO) method within the local density approximation (LDA) has been used to calculate structural and electronic properties of thallium pnictides TlX (X = Sb, Bi). As a function of volume, the total energy is evaluated. Apart from this, equilibrium lattice parameter, bulk modulus, first order derivative, electronic and lattice heat co-efficient, Debye temperature and Grüneisen constants, band structure and density of states are calculated. From energy band diagram, we observed metallic behaviour in TlSb and TlBi compounds. The equilibrium lattice constants agreed well with the available data.

Surface plasmon assisted high-performance photodetectors based on hybrid TiO_(2)@GaO_(x)N_(y)-Ag heterostructure

In this work,we reported a high-performance-based ultraviolet-visible(UV-VIS)photodetector based on a TiO_(2)@GaO_(x)N_(y)-Ag heterostructure.Ag particles were introduced into TiO_(2)@GaO_(x)N_(y)to enhance the visible light detection perfor-mance of the heterojunction device.At 380 nm,the responsivity and detectivity of TiO_(2)@GaO_(x)N_(y)-Ag were 0.94 A/W and 4.79×109 Jones,respectively,and they increased to 2.86 A/W and 7.96×1010 Jones at 580 nm.The rise and fall times of the response were 0.19/0.23 and 0.50/0.57 s,respectively.Uniquely,at 580 nm,the responsivity of fabricated devices is one to four orders of magnitude higher than that of the photodetectors based on TiO_(2),Ga_(2)O_(3),and other heterojunctions.The excellent optoelectronic characteristics of the TiO_(2)@GaO_(x)N_(y)-Ag heterojunction device could be mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of the type-Ⅱband structure of the metal-semiconductor-metal heterojunction and the plasmon resonance effect of Ag,which not only effectively promotes the separation of photogenerated carriers but also reduces the recombination rate.It is fur-ther illuminated by finite difference time domain method(FDTD)simulation and photoelectric measurements.The TiO_(2)@GaO_(x)N_(y)-Ag arrays with high-efficiency detection are suitable candidates for applications in energy-saving communica-tion,imaging,and sensing networks.

Na Induced Changes in the Electronic Band Structure of Graphene Grown on C-Face SiC

Studies of the effects induced on the electron band structure after Na deposition, and subsequent heating, on a C-face 2 MLs graphene sample are reported. Na deposition shifts the Dirac point downwards from the Fermi level by about 0.5 eV due to electron doping. After heating at temperatures from around 120℃ to 300℃,thep-band appears considerably broadened. Collected Si 2p and Na 2p spectra then indicate Na intercalation in between the graphene layers and at the graphene SiC interface. The broadening is therefore interpreted to arise from the presence of two slightly shifted, but not clearly resolved,p-bands. Constant energy photoelectron distribution patterns, E(kx,ky);s, extracted from the clean 2MLs graphene C-face sample look very similar to earlier calculated distribution patterns for monolayer, but not Bernal stacked bilayer, graphene. After Na deposition the patterns extracted at energies below the Dirac point appear very similar so the doping had no pronounced effect on the shape or intensity distribution. At energies above the Dirac point the extracted angular distribution patterns show the flipped, “mirrored”, intensity distribution predicted for monolayer graphene at these energies. An additional weaker outer band is also discernable at energies above the Dirac point, which presumably is induced by the deposited Na.

Studying the variable energy band structure for energy storage materials in charge/discharge process

So far,a clear understanding about the relationship of variable energy band structure with the corresponding charge-discharge process of energy storage materials is still lacking.Here,using optical spectroscopy(red-green-blue(RGB)value,reflectivity,transmittance,UV-vis,XPS,UPS)to studyα-Co(OH)_(2) electrode working in KOH electrolyte as the research object,we provide direct experimental evidence that:(1)The intercalation of OH-ions will reduce the valence/conduction band(VB and CB)and band gap energy(Eg)values;(2)The deintercalation of OH-ions corresponds with the reversion of VB,CB and E_(g) to the initial values;(3)The color of Co(OH)_(2) electrode also exhibit regular variations in RGB value during the charge-discharge process.

Decade Milestone Advancement of Defect-Engineered g-C_(3)N_(4) for Solar Catalytic Applications

Over the past decade, graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4)) has emerged as a universal photocatalyst toward various sustainable carbo-neutral technologies. Despite solar applications discrepancy, g-C_(3)N_(4) is still confronted with a general fatal issue of insufficient supply of thermodynamically active photocarriers due to its inferior solar harvesting ability and sluggish charge transfer dynamics. Fortunately, this could be significantly alleviated by the “all-in-one” defect engineering strategy, which enables a simultaneous amelioration of both textural uniqueness and intrinsic electronic band structures. To this end, we have summarized an unprecedently comprehensive discussion on defect controls including the vacancy/non-metallic dopant creation with optimized electronic band structure and electronic density, metallic doping with ultraactive coordinated environment(M–N_(x), M–C_(2)N_(2), M–O bonding), functional group grafting with optimized band structure, and promoted crystallinity with extended conjugation π system with weakened interlayered van der Waals interaction. Among them, the defect states induced by various defect types such as N vacancy, P/S/halogen dopants, and cyano group in boosting solar harvesting and accelerating photocarrier transfer have also been emphasized. More importantly, the shallow defect traps identified by femtosecond transient absorption spectra(fs-TAS) have also been highlighted. It is believed that this review would pave the way for future readers with a unique insight into a more precise defective g-C_(3)N_(4) “customization”, motivating more profound thinking and flourishing research outputs on g-C_(3)N_(4)-based photocatalysis.

Negative magnetoresistance in the antiferromagnetic semimetal V_(1/3)TaS_(2)

Intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs)attract much attention due to their rich properties and potential applications.In this article,we grew successfully high-quality V_(1/3)TaS_(2) crystals by a vapor transport method.We measured the magnetization,longitudinal resistivityρxx(T,H),Hall resistivityρxy(T,H),as well as performed calculations of the electronic band structure.It was found that V_(1/3)TaS_(2) is an A-type antiferromagnet with the Neel temperature T_(N)=6.20 K,and exhibits a negative magnetoresistance(MR)near T_(N).Both band structure calculations and Hall resistivity measurements demonstrated it is a magnetic semimetal.

Persistence of charge density wave against variation of band structures in V_(x)Ti_(1−x)Se_(2)(x=0–0.1)

Charge density wave(CDW)is a phenomenon that occurs in materials,accompanied by changes in their intrinsic electronic properties.The study of CDW and its modulation in materials holds tremendous significance in materials research,as it provides a unique approach to controlling the electronic properties of materials.TiSe_(2) is a typical layered material with a CDW phase at low temperatures.Through V substitution for Ti in TiSe_(2),we tuned the carrier concentration in V_(x)Ti_(1-x)Se_(2) to study how its electronic structures evolve.Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES)shows that the band-folding effect is sustained with the doping level up to 10%,indicating the persistence of the CDW phase,even though the band structure is strikingly different from that of the parent compound TiSe_(2).Though CDW can induce the band fold effect with a driving force from the perspective of electronic systems,our studies suggest that this behavior could be maintained by lattice distortion of the CDW phase,even if band structures deviate from the electron-driven CDW scenario.Our work provides a constraint for understanding the CDW mechanism in TiSe_(2),and highlights the role of lattice distortion in the band-folding effect.

Impact of EBG Structures' Positions on the Performance of an EBG Antenna

Six circularly polarized patch antennas with electromagnetic band gap(EBG)arranged at different locations were studied.These EBG antennas were compared in terms of impedance bandwidth,axial ratio(AR)bandwidth and radiation patterns.When the EBG cells were placed closer to the edge of the substrate,the EBG antenna had a larger front radiation and a narrower bandwidth.Integrating the EBG cells closer to the center of the patch resulted in a wider impedance bandwidth,a wider axial ratio bandwidth and a decreased front gain.

Reanalysis of energy band structure in the type-II quantum wells

Band structure analysis holds significant importance for understanding the optoelectronic characteristics of semiconductor structures and exploring their potential applications in practice. For quantum well structures, the energy of carriers in the well splits into discrete energy levels due to the confinement of barriers in the growth direction. However, the discrete energy levels obtained at a fixed wave vector cannot accurately reflect the actual energy band structure. In this work, the band structure of the type-II quantum wells is reanalyzed. When the wave vectors of the entire Brillouin region(corresponding to the growth direction) are taken into account, the quantized energy levels of the carriers in the well are replaced by subbands with certain energy distributions. This new understanding of the energy bands of low-dimensional structures not only helps us to have a deeper cognition of the structure, but also may overturn many viewpoints in traditional band theories and serve as supplementary to the band theory of low-dimensional systems.

Density functional theory analysis of electronic structure and optical properties of La-doped Cd_2SnO_4 transparent conducting oxide

The electronic structural, effective masses of carriers, and optical properties of pure and La-doped Cd_2SnO_4 are calculated by using the first-principles method based on the density functional theory. Using the GGA+U method, we show that Cd_2SnO_4 is a direct band-gap semiconductor with a band gap of 2.216 eV, the band gap decreases to 2.02 e V and the Fermi energy level moves to the conduction band after La doping. The density of states of Cd_2SnO_4 shows that the bottom of the conduction band is composed of Cd 5 s, Sn 5 s, and Sn 5 p orbits, the top of the valence band is composed of Cd 4d and O 2p, and the La 5 d orbital is hybridized with the O 2 p orbital, which plays a key role at the conduction band bottom after La doping. The effective masses at the conduction band bottom of pure and La-doped Cd_2SnO_4 are 0.18 m0 and 0.092 m_0, respectively, which indicates that the electrical conductivity of Cd_2SnO_4 after La doping is improved. The calculated optical properties show that the optical transmittance of La-doped Cd_2SnO_4 is 92%, the optical absorption edge is slightly blue shifted, and the optical band gap is increased to 3.263 eV. All the results indicate that the conductivity and optical transmittance of Cd_2SnO_4 can be improved by doping La.

The Electronic and Optical Properties of Vertically Stacked GaN-WS_(2) Heterostructure

The electronic structure and optical property of stacked GaN-WS_(2)heterostructure are explored with HSE06 calculation based on density functional theory.The direct band gap of GaN-WS_(2)heterostructure is 1.993 eV,which is obviously a type-II band alignment semiconductor.Furthermore,the optical property of GaN-WS_(2)heterostructure such as absorption coefficient is analyzed.These new findings enable GaN-WS_(2)heterostructure to be promising candidates for photovoltaic cells and electronic devices in visible light.