Strain-bandgap quasi-linear correlation applied to modulation of NiBr2 monolayer optical properties

Abstract

Recently, two-dimensional transition metal dihalides have shown diverse applications in spintronics, quantum devices, and optoelectronic devices. In this work, density functional theory (DFT) is adopted to investigate the effect of biaxial strain upon the electronic structure and optical properties of NiBr2 monolayer. The results show that NiBr2 is an indirect semiconductor with band gap 2.62 eV (DFT + U) and 3.18 eV (HSE06), which could vary quasi-linearly from 2.73 eV to 1.71 eV modulated by biaxial strain (6 % to −10 %). Combined with the analysis of the density of states (DOS), the primary reason for the alteration in the band gap is that strain significantly affects the behavior of Ni 3d electrons. When the strain changes from positive to negative, the DOS of Ni 3d shifts towards the Fermi level, resulting in a reduction in the band gap. Within this strain range, all of the optical properties exhibit a quasi-linear tendency similar to the band gap variation. The optical peaks of NiBr2 under compressive strain are not only red-shifted into the visible light (VL) region but also significantly enhanced in the VL and ultraviolet (UV) regions. Applying strain can greatly boost the electrical and optical properties of NiBr2 monolayer, making it a promising candidate in the field of ultraviolet detectors.