C3N based heterobilayers: a potential platform to explore optoelectronic and thermoelectric properties

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the full thermal transport and optoelectronic features of two established van der Waals heterostructures based on the recently synthesized monolayer of C3N using the machinery of the Boltzmann transport equation and GW+BSE calculations. Among the structures, C3N/hBN tends to exhibit a small indirect gap semiconducting nature with an admixture of comparatively higher ‘flat-and-dispersiveness’ and band degeneracy in the conduction band minima. A nearly comparable high thermoelectric power factor is observed for both carrier types at 300 K and 900 K at specific concentrations. The other material, C3N/Graphene however maintains a low Seebeck coefficient with large electrical conductivity which correctly manifests its metallic character. A combination of low atomic mass, higher anharmonicity and longer lifetime of acoustic phonons in C3N/hBN results in an intermediate lattice thermal conductivity (196 W m−1 K−1) at room temperature as compared to its constituent monolayers. Under heavy n-type doping, C3N/hBN hetero-bilayer displays a figure of merit value of 0.13 (and 0.36) at room temperature (and at 900 K). As per the optical signatures are concerned, C3N/hBN reveals two distinct absorption peaks with a high electron–hole quasiparticle interaction energy correction. Besides both the heterostructures display a much better absorption throughout the spectrum as compared to graphene. We expect these findings will motivate future research in designing thermoelectric and optoelectronic materials made of light mass, earth-abundant and non-toxic elements.