Issue 41, 2017, Issue in Progress

Effect of an external electric field on the electronic properties of SnS2/PbI2 van der Waals heterostructures

Abstract

The future development of optoelectronic devices will require an advanced control technology in electronic properties, for example by an external electric field (Efield). Here we demonstrate an approach that the heterostructure based on van der Waals (vdW) heterobilayer built by monolayer SnS2 and PbI2 has a well-controlled electronic properties with Efield. A type-II staggered-gap band alignment is achieved from the SnS2/PbI2 vdW heterostructure with which SnS2 dominated the lowest energy holes as well as the lowest energy electrons are separated in PbI2. The charge redistribution with an Efield is mainly on the surface of SnS2 layer and PbI2 and the numbers of polarized electrons on the monolayers display a linear evaluation with external Efield. The band structure under different Efield experiences not only a transition from semiconductor to metal but also conversions between type-I straddling-band alignment and type-II staggered-gap, which results in different spatial distribution of the lowest energy electrons and holes. Moreover, when the Efield is between −0.06 V Å−1 and −0.34 V Å−1, the material manifests a varied direct bandgap which is more favor to optoelectronics and solar cell. Consequently, this vdW heterobilayer with well-controlled manner shows expectation for huge potential in optics and electronics.

Graphical abstract: Effect of an external electric field on the electronic properties of SnS2/PbI2 van der Waals heterostructures

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Feb 2017
Accepted
03 May 2017
First published
12 May 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 25582-25588

Effect of an external electric field on the electronic properties of SnS2/PbI2 van der Waals heterostructures

Y. Ma, X. Zhao, M. Niu, X. Dai, W. Li, Y. Li, M. Zhao, T. Wang and Y. Tang, RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 25582 DOI: 10.1039/C7RA01920C

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