Showing papers by "Miao Zhou published in 2011"

Adsorption of gas molecules on transition metal embedded graphene: a search for high-performance graphene-based catalysts and gas sensors.

Abstract: We report an investigation on the adsorption of small gas molecules (O(2), CO, NO(2) and NH(3)) on pristine and various transition metal embedded graphene samples using a first-principles approach based on density-functional theory (DFT). The most stable adsorption geometry, energy, charge transfer, and magnetic moment of these molecules on graphene embedded with different transition metal elements are thoroughly discussed. Our calculations found that embedded transition metal elements in general can significantly enhance the interactions between gas molecules and graphene, and for applications of graphene-based catalysis, Ti and Au may be the best choices among all transition metal elements. We also expect a detailed analysis of the electronic structures and magnetic properties of these systems to shed light on future applications of graphene-based gas sensing and spintronics.

Graphene-based bipolar spin diode and spin transistor: Rectification and amplification of spin-polarized current

Abstract: A major challenge of spintronics is in generating, controlling and detecting spin-polarized current. Manipulation of spin-polarized current, in particular, is difficult. We demonstrate here, based on calculated transport properties of graphene nanoribbons, that nearly +-100% spin-polarized current can be generated in zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) and tuned by a source-drain voltage in the bipolar spin diode, in addition to magnetic configurations of the electrodes. This unusual transport property is attributed to the intrinsic transmission selection rule of the spin subbands near the Fermi level in ZGNRs. The simultaneous control of spin current by the bias voltage and the magnetic configurations of the electrodes provides an opportunity to implement a whole range of spintronics devices. We propose theoretical designs for a complete set of basic spintronic devices, including bipolar spin diode, transistor and logic gates, based on ZGNRs.

C-doped ZnO nanowires: Electronic structures, magnetic properties, and a possible spintronic device

Abstract: Electronic structures, magnetic properties, and spin-dependent electron transport characteristics of C-doped ZnO nanowires have been investigated via first-principles method based on density functional theory and nonequilibrium techniques of Green's functions. Our calculations show that the doping of carbon atoms in a ZnO nanowire could induce strong magnetic moments in the wire, and the electronic structures as well as the magnetic properties of the system sensitively depend on partial hydrogenation. Based on these findings, we proposed a quasi-1d tunneling magnetic junction made of a partially hydrogenated C-doped ZnO nanowire, which shows a high tunneling magnetoresistance ratio, and could be the building block of a new class of spintronic devices.

Adsorbate and defect effects on electronic and transport properties of gold nanotubes

Abstract: First-principles calculations have been performed to study the effects of adsorbates (CO molecules and O atoms) and defects on electronic structures and transport properties of Au nanotubes (Au(5, 3) and Au(5, 5)). For CO adsorption, various adsorption sites of CO on the Au tubes were considered. The vibrational frequency of the CO molecule was found to be very different for two nearly degenerate stable adsorption configurations of Au(5, 3), implying the possibility of distinguishing these two configurations via measuring the vibrational frequency of CO in experiments. After CO adsorption, the conductance of Au(5, 3) decreases by 0.9G(0) and the conductance of Au(5, 5) decreases by approximately 0.5G(0). For O-adsorbed Au tubes, O atoms strongly interact with Au tubes, leading to around 2G(0) of drop in conductance for both Au tubes. These results may have implications for Au-tube-based chemical sensing. When a monovacancy defect is present, we found that, for both tubes, the conductance decreases by around 1G(0). Another type of defect arising from the adhesion of one Au atom is also considered. For this case, it is found that, for the Au(5, 3) tube, the defect decreases the conductance by nearly 1G(0), whereas for Au(5, 5), the decrease in conductance is only 0.3G(0).