On the Mechanical, Electronic, and Optical Properties of 8-16-4 Graphyne: A 2D Carbon Allotrope with Dirac Cones

TL;DR

This study investigates the properties of 8-16-4 Graphyne, a novel 2D carbon allotrope, revealing its stability, semi-metallic nature with Dirac cones, optical transparency, and strain resilience, expanding potential applications in electronics and photonics.

Contribution

First comprehensive theoretical analysis of 8-16-4 Graphyne's mechanical, electronic, and optical properties, highlighting its stability and unique strain-insensitive band structure.

Findings

Exhibits good dynamical and thermal stability.

Displays two Dirac cones in its band structure.

Remains strain-insensitive in its electronic properties.

Abstract

Due to the success achieved by graphene, several 2D carbon-based allotropes were theoretically predicted and experimentally synthesized. We used density functional theory and reactive molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the mechanical, structural, electronic, and optical properties of 8-16-4 Graphyne. The results showed that this material exhibits good dynamical and thermal stabilities. Its formation energy and elastic moduli are -8.57 eV/atom and 262.37 GPa, respectively. This graphyne analogue is a semi-metal and presents two Dirac cones in its band structure. Moreover, it is transparent, and its intense optical activity is limited to the infrared region. Remarkably, the band structure of 8-16-4 Graphyne remains practically unchanged at even moderate strain regimes. As far as we know, this is the first 2D carbon allotrope to exhibit this behavior.