The Electronic Properties of g−ZnO Modulated by Organic Molecules Adsorption

Abstract

Molecular doping is an excellent instrument to modify the electronic properties of two−dimensional materials. In our work, the structure and electronic properties of the adsorption systems of g−ZnO adsorbed by organic molecules (including Tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), Tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), and Tetrahydrofulvalene (TTF)) were investigated computationally using Density Functional Theory (DFT). The results showed that the TCNE and TCNQ, as electron receptors, doped the LUMO energy level above the valence band maximum (VBM) of the g−ZnO band structure, demonstrating effective p−type doping. The n−type doping of g−ZnO was obtained that the TTF molecules, as electron donors, doped the HOMO energy level below the conduction band minimum (CBM) of the band structure for g−ZnO. In addition, the TCNE, TCNQ, and TTF breathed additional holes or electrons into the monolayer g−ZnO, creating surface dipole moments between the g−ZnO and organic molecules, which caused work function to be adjustable, ranging from 3.871 eV to 5.260 eV. Our results prove that organic molecular doping was instrumental in improving the performance of g−ZnO−based nano−electronic devices, providing theoretical support for the fabrication of p−doping or n−doping nano−semiconductor components. The tunable range of field emission capability of g−ZnO−based electronic devices was also extended.

Keywords

• g−ZnO
• organic molecules
• molecular doping
• work function
• density functional theory