An Insight into the Phase Transformation of WS upon Fluorination.

The transformation from semiconducting to metallic phase, accompanied by a structural transition in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides has attracted the attention of the researchers worldwide. The unconventional structural transformation of fluorinated WS (FWS ) into the 1T phase is described. The energy difference between the two phases debugs this transition, as fluorination enhances the stability of 1T FWS and makes it energetically favorable at higher F concentration.

Monolayer BC: an ultrahigh capacity anode material for Li ion batteries.

There is great interest in developing promising candidate materials for high-capacity, low cost, environmentally friendly, longer cycle life anodes for lithium ion batteries. Due to better Li adsorption properties than graphene, boron doped graphene has been considered to be an attractive anode material for Li-ion batteries. Using first principles density functional theory calculations, we investigate the effect of increasing boron concentration on the gravimetric capacity of monolayered boron doped carbon sheets.

Fluorinated h-BN as a magnetic semiconductor.

We report the fluorination of electrically insulating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and the subsequent modification of its electronic band structure to a wide bandgap semiconductor via introduction of defect levels. The electrophilic nature of fluorine causes changes in the charge distribution around neighboring nitrogen atoms in h-BN, leading to room temperature weak ferromagnetism. The observations are further supported by theoretical calculations considering various possible configurations of fluorinated h-BN structure and their energy states.

Pressure induced manifold enhancement of Li-kinetics in FCC fullerene.

The reduction of the diffusion energy barrier for Li in electrodes is one of the required criteria to achieve better performances in Li ion batteries. Using density functional theory based calculations, we report a pressure induced manifold enhancement of Li-kinetics in bulk FCC fullerene. Scanning of the potential energy surface reveals a diffusion path with a low energy barrier of 0.

Boron doped defective graphene as a potential anode material for Li-ion batteries.

Graphene with large surface area and robust structure has been proposed as a high storage capacity anode material for Li ion batteries. While the inertness of pristine graphene leads to better Li kinetics, poor adsorption leads to Li clustering, significantly affecting the performance of the battery. Here, we show the role of defects and doping in achieving enhanced adsorption without compromising on the high diffusivity of Li.

Li diffusion through doped and defected graphene.

We investigate the effect of nitrogen and boron doping on Li diffusion through defected graphene using first principles based density functional theory. While a high energy barrier rules out the possibility of Li- diffusion through the pristine graphene, the barrier reduces with the incorporation of defects. Among the most common defects in pristine graphene, Li diffusion through the divacancy encounters the lowest energy barrier of 1.