Physisorption of propane and butane vapors on novel Kagome antimonene sheets – A first-principles perception

A holistic review on the recent trends, advances, and challenges for high-precision room temperature liquefied petroleum gas sensors

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is mainly composed of hydrocarbons, such as propane and butane, is a flammable gas that is considered a clean source of energy. Currently, the overwhelming use of LPG as fuel in vehicles, domestic settings, and industry has led to several incidents and deaths globally due to leakage. As a result, the appropriate detection of LPG is vital; thus, gas-sensing devices that can monitor this gas rapidly and accurately at room temperature, are required. This work reviews the current advances in LPG gas sensors, which operate at room temperature. The influences of the synthesis methods and parameters, doping, and use of catalysts on the sensing performance are discussed. The formation of heterostructures made from semiconducting metal oxides, polymers, and graphene-based materials, which enhance the sensor selectivity and sensitivity, is also discussed. The future trends and challenges confronted in the advancement of LPG room temperature operational gas sensors, and critical ideas concerning the future evolution of LPG gas sensors, are deliberated. Additionally, the advancements in the next-generation gas sensors, such as the wireless detection of LPG leakage, self-powered sensors driven by triboelectric/piezoelectric mechanisms, and artificial intelligent systems are also reviewed. This review further focuses on the use of smartphones to circumvent the use of costly instruments and paves the way for cost-efficient and portable monitoring of LPG. Finally, the approach of utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT) to detect/monitor the leakage of LPG has also been discussed, which will provide better alerts to the users and thus minimize the effects of leakages.

Recent progress on the synthesis, properties and applications of antimonene - A mini-review

The recent advancement in group VA monolayer and few-layer materials leads to fascinating applications. In this mini-review, we present the state-of-the-art in the synthesis of antimonene, its properties and various applications. Besides, the electronic properties of antimonene depend on its allotropes. Furthermore, we studied the electronic properties of δ, ε, and twisted-θ antimonene nanosheets, nanoribbons, and nanoring, and the results are reported. Moreover, the structural stability and electronic properties of antimonene is influenced by its allotrope and nanostructure. The report will give insights into the synthesis, properties, applications, and future outlook of antimonene.

Tuning the optoelectronic properties of superalkali doped phosphorene

In this study, the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of pristine phosphorene and superalkali (Li₃O) doped phosphorene are estimated through the density functional theory (DFT) method to investigate the optical properties. The geometries of complexes have been optimized using the B3LYP/6-31G (d, p) level of theory. The effects of doping on phosphorene have been thoroughly explained by vertical ionization energy (VIE), interaction energies (E_int), and natural bond orbitals (NBO), Moreover, the density of states (DOS), electron density difference map (EDDM) analysis, the frontier molecular orbitals (FMO) plots are also given out to find more physical divination into the electronic communication and structure property relationship. The doping of superalkali conclusively has reduced the HOMO-LUMO energy gap of M1 3.28 eV-1.25 eV for M2 making it the n-type semiconductor. The higher values of E_int,E_fm and VIE obtained for M2 has indicated that this complex has higher stability and stronger interaction between superalkalis and phosphorene. More interestingly, there has been a gradual increase in the first static hyperpolarizability (β_static) values for M1, M2 and M3 are 115.75 au, 4118.6 au, and 659.30 au respectively. The Static second hyperpolarizability (γ_static) of the doped complexes has also been calculated from which the M2 has the highest value of 1382.5 ҳ 10³ au. The TD-DFT exploration has exhibited that the doped molecules are adequately transparent in the UV region. Some selected systems are also compared with the p-NA reference molecule which is a familiar external reference molecule for NLO applications. From UV absorption analysis, it can be found that these doped complexes of phosphorene may be contemplated as a new applicant for intense ultraviolet NLO materials. Computational studies have revealed the stability of M2 and M3 making them feasible as NLO materials in optoelectronic applications.

Silver cluster (Ag6) decorated coronene as non-enzymatic sensor for glucose and H2O2

Silver-graphene quantum dots are promising electrochemical sensors due to their unique electronic properties. Herein, we report the comprehensive DFT study to explore the electronic properties of silver cluster (Ag₆) decorated coronene as model for silver graphene quantum dots. The current study aims to investigate the sensing ability of silver-coronene complex for non-enzymatic electrochemical detection of glucose & H₂O₂. The stability of the complexes of analytes with silver decorated coronene is supported by their greater interaction energies (-36.7 to -44.9 kcal mol^-1)_. NBO charge analysis and charge decomposition analysis (CDA) reveal donor-acceptor charge transfer interactions in the complexes. Frontier molecular orbital analysis illustrates that charge is transferred from analytes to silver decorated coronene during excitation from HOMO to LUMO. The Uv-visible results show that λ_max is red shifted during interactions of analytes with silver decorated coronene. The NCI analysis illustrates the strong non-covalent (M … O) and unusual M … H-O interactions in the complexes. The precedent sensing performance of Ag₆-coronene might be attributed to the synergistic effect of both silver clusters and coronene in the composite. The evaluated results validate the excellent sensing ability of silver-graphene quantum dots for the detection of glucose & H₂O₂. The outcome of the current study and its prospects will open the avenue for the rational development of smart sensors.