The edge structure and width of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are crucial factors for the electronic properties. A combination of experiment and first-principles calculations allows us to determine the mechanism of the hexagon-hexagon to pentagon-heptagon transformation. GNRs thinner than 2 nm have been fabricated by bombardment of graphene with high-energetic Au clusters. The edges of the GNRs are modified in situ by electron irradiation. Tensile strain along the edge decreases the transformation energy barrier. Antiferromagnetism and a direct band gap are found for a zigzag GNR, while a fully reconstructed GNR shows an indirect band gap. A GNR reconstructed on only one edge exhibits ferromagnetism. We propose that strain is an effective method to tune the edge and, therefore, the electronic structure of thin GNRs for graphene-based electronics.

Fully relativistic first-principles calculations based on density functional theory are performed to study the spin-orbit-induced spin splitting in monolayer systems of the transition-metal dichalcogenides MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2. All these systems are identified as direct-band-gap semiconductors. Giant spin splittings of 148–456 meV result from missing inversion symmetry. Full out-of-plane spin polarization is due to the two-dimensional nature of the electron motion and the potential gradient asymmetry. By suppression of the Dyakonov-Perel spin relaxation, spin lifetimes are expected to be very long. Because of the giant spin splittings, the studied materials have great potential in spintronics applications.

We present a detailed analysis of the effects of uniaxial and biaxial strain on the frequencies of the G mode of monolayer graphene, using first principles calculations. Our results allow us to explain discrepancies in the experimentally determined values of the Grüneisen parameter. The direction and strength of the applied strain, Poisson's ratio of the substrate, and the intrinsic strain in different experimental setups turn out to be important. A reliable determination of the Grüneisen parameter is a prerequisite of strain engineering.

We have performed density-functional theory calculations, including the spin-orbit correction, to investigate atomic gold chains on Ge(001). A set of 26 possible configurations of the Au/Ge(001) system with c(4×2) and c(8×2) symmetries is studied. Our data show that the c(4×2) order results in the lowest energy, which is not in direct agreement with recent experiments. Using total-energy calculations, we are able to explain these differences. We address the electronic band structure and apply the Tersoff-Hamann approach to correlate our data to scanning-tunneling microscopy (STM). We obtain two highly competitive structures of the atomic Au chains for which we report simulated STM images in order to clarify the composition of the experimental Au/Ge(001) surface.

The electronic and optical properties of the KTaO3/SrTiO3 heterointerface are analyzed by the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave approach of density functional theory. Optimization of the atomic positions points at subordinate changes in the crystal structure and chemical bonding near the interface, which is due to a minimal lattice mismatch. The creation of metallic interface states thus is not affected by structural relaxation but can be explained by charge transfer between transition metal and oxygen atoms. It is to be expected that a charge transfer is likewise important for related interfaces such as LaAlO3/SrTiO3. The KTaO3/SrTiO3 system is ideal for disentangling the complex behavior of metallic interface states, since almost no structural relaxation takes place.

All-electron ab initio calculations are used to study the microscopic origin of the charge density wave (CDW) in 1T-TiSe2. A purely electronic picture is ruled out as a possible scenario, indicating that the CDW transition in the present system is merely a structural phase transition. The CDW instability is the result of a symmetry lowering by electron correlations occurring with electron localization. Suppression of the CDW in pressurized and in Cu-intercalated 1T-TiSe2 is explained by a delocalization of the electrons, which weakens the correlations and counteracts the symmetry lowering.

Using first-principles calculations, we study the electronic structure of monolayer MoS2 under uniaxial strain. We show that the energy valleys drift far off the corners of the Brillouin zone (K points), about 12 times the amount observed in graphene. Therefore, it is essential to take this effect into consideration for a correct identification of the band gap. The system remains a direct band gap semiconductor up to 4% uniaxial strain, while the size of the band gap decreases from 1.73 to 1.54 eV. We also demonstrate that the splitting of the valence bands due to inversion symmetry breaking and spin-orbit coupling is not sensitive to strain.

First-principles calculations are used to explore the geometry, bonding, and electronic properties of MoS2/Ti2C and MoS2/Ti2CY2 (Y = F and OH) semiconductor/metal contacts. The structure of the interfaces is determined. Strong chemical bonds formed at the MoS2/Ti2C interface result in additional states next to the Fermi level, which extend over the three atomic layers of MoS2 and induce a metallic character. The interaction in MoS2/Ti2CY2, on the other hand, is weak and not sensitive to the specific geometry, and the semiconducting nature thus is preserved. The energy level alignment implies weak and strong n-type doping of MoS2 in MoS2/Ti2CF2 and MoS2/Ti2C(OH)2, respectively. The corresponding n-type Schottky barrier heights are 0.85 and 0.26 eV. We show that the MoS2/Ti2CF2 interface is close to the Schottky limit. At the MoS2/Ti2C(OH)2 interface, we find that a strong dipole due to charge rearrangement induces the Schottky barrier. The present interfaces are well suited for application in all-two-dimensional devices.

The dispersion coefficients C6, C8, and C10 for long-range interactions of He(n1,3S) and He(n1,3P), 2≤n≤10, with the ground-state noble-gas atoms Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe are calculated by summing over the reduced matrix elements of multipole transition operators. The large-n expansions for the sums over the He oscillator strength divided by the corresponding transition energy are presented for these series. Using the expansions, the C6 coefficients for the systems involving He(131,3S) and He(131,3P) are calculated and found to be in good agreement with directly calculated values.

The dispersion coefficients for the long-range interaction of the first four excited states of He, i.e., He(2 1,3S) and He(2 1,3P), with the low-lying states of the alkali-metal atoms Li, Na, K, and Rb are calculated by summing over the reduced matrix elements of the multipole transition operators. For the interaction between He and Li the uncertainty of the calculations is 0.1–0.5%. For interactions with other alkali-metal atoms the uncertainty is 1–3% in the coefficient C5, 1–5% in the coefficient C6, and 1–10% in the coefficients C8 and C10. The dispersion coefficients Cn for the interaction of He(2 1,3S) and He(2 1,3P) with the ground-state alkali-metal atoms and for the interaction of He(2 1,3S) with the alkali-metal atoms in their first 2P states are presented in this Brief Report. The coefficients for other pairs of atomic states are listed in the Supplemental Material.