Chemical modifications of boron nitride nanotubes with heterocyclic molecules: A DFT study

Abstract

The density functionals M06–2X and B3LYP were exploited for investigating the impact of modifying the surface of a boron nitride nano-tube (BNNT) with the furan molecule in terms of energy, electronics, and geometry. According to the density functional theory (DFT) results, BNNT had a strong interaction with the furan molecule. So, the adhesion of the furan molecule onto the surface of BNNT was consistent with the chemical functionalization. Furthermore, the computed density of states indicated that the electronic features of the BNNT were adjusted with a partial chemical modification. Also, the functional energy raised by enhancing the electron donation property of the functional groups, which was due to the rise in the electrical conductance of BNNT in contrast with the pristine BNNT. Retaining the electronic features of BNNT and the increased solubility demonstrated that using furan to chemically modify BNNTs could be a useful method to purify them.