scholarly journals Tuning the optoelectronic properties of hematite with rhodium doping for photoelectrochemical water splitting using density functional theory approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdur Rauf ◽  
Muhammad Adil ◽  
Shabeer Ahmad Mian ◽  
Gul Rahman ◽  
Ejaz Ahmed ◽  
...  

AbstractHematite (Fe2O3) is one of the best candidates for photoelectrochemical water splitting due to its abundance and suitable bandgap. However, its efficiency is mostly impeded due to the intrinsically low conductivity and poor light absorption. In this study, we targeted this intrinsic behavior to investigate the thermodynamic stability, photoconductivity and optical properties of rhodium doped hematite using density functional theory. The calculated formation energy of pristine and rhodium doped hematite was − 4.47 eV and − 5.34 eV respectively, suggesting that the doped material is thermodynamically more stable. The DFT results established that the bandgap of doped hematite narrowed down to the lower edge (1.61 eV) in the visible region which enhanced the optical absorption and photoconductivity of the material. Moreover, doped hematite has the ability to absorb a broad spectrum (250–800) nm. The enhanced optical absorption boosted the photocurrent and incident photon to current efficiency. The calculated results also showed that the incorporation of rhodium in hematite induced a redshift in optical properties.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Yin-Pai Lin ◽  
Boris Polyakov ◽  
Edgars Butanovs ◽  
Aleksandr A. Popov ◽  
Maksim Sokolov ◽  
...  

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) MoS2 and WS2 monolayers (MLs) deposited atop of crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) and graphene-like ZnO (g-ZnO) substrates have been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) using PBE and GLLBSC exchange-correlation functionals. In this work, the electronic structure and optical properties of studied hybrid nanomaterials are described in view of the influence of ZnO substrates thickness on the MoS2@ZnO and WS2@ZnO two-dimensional (2D) nanocomposites. The thicker ZnO substrate not only triggers the decrease of the imaginary part of dielectric function relatively to more thinner g-ZnO but also results in the less accumulated charge density in the vicinity of the Mo and W atoms at the conduction band minimum. Based on the results of our calculations, we predict that MoS2 and WS2 monolayers placed at g-ZnO substrate yield essential enhancement of the photoabsorption in the visible region of solar spectra and, thus, can be used as a promising catalyst for photo-driven water splitting applications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (14) ◽  
pp. 1850178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuefeng Lu ◽  
Xu Gao ◽  
Junqiang Ren ◽  
Cuixia Li ◽  
Xin Guo ◽  
...  

Bandgap tailoring of [Formula: see text]-Si3N4 is performed by single and co-doping by using density functional theory (DFT) of PBE functional and plane-wave pseudopotential method. The results reveal that a direct bandgap transfers into an indirect one when single-doped with As element. Also, a considerate decrease of bandgap to 0.221 eV and 0.315 eV is present for Al–P and As–P co-doped systems, respectively, exhibiting a representative semiconductor property that is characteristic for a narrower bandgap. Compared with other doped systems, Al-doped system with formation energy of 2.67 eV is present for a more stable structure. From charge density difference (CDD) maps, it is found that the blue area between co-doped atoms increases, illustrating an enhancement of covalent property for Al–P and Al–As bonds. Moreover, a slightly obvious “Blue shift” phenomenon can be obtained in Al, Al–P and Al–As doped systems, indicating an enhanced capacity of responses to light, which contributes to the insight for broader applications with regard to photoelectric devices.


2014 ◽  
Vol 716-717 ◽  
pp. 20-23
Author(s):  
Min Xu

based on Density Functional Theory, we investigated the optical structures and the electronic properties of Cu doped SnO2with density of 12.5%, including band structure, the density of state (dos), Dielectric function and optical absorption spectrum. The results show that Fermi level access conduction band gradually with the doped density. It has enhanced the electrical and metal property of material. The peaks of reflectivity spectrum and absorption spectrum correspond density of state.


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