Tailoring electronic and transport properties of edge-terminated armchair graphene by defect formation and N/B doping

First principle calculations based on Density Functional Theory and nonequilibrium Green's function methods were carried out on a p-n junction device made of armchair graphene nanoribbons (GNR), with B and N doping and with defects, to examine transport properties of these systems. Doping and defects were found to lower band gap compared to pristine GNR. N-doping leads to the smallest band gap and the highest current (17.18 mu A at 0.9 V bias, -12.82 mu A at -1 V bias). B-doping shows the least current. Extensive delocalisation in N-doped system suggests a strong coupling between p and n parts, making the system a high rectifying diode. Linear correspondence between transmission coefficient and projected density of states suggest robust negative differential resistance effect. Tuning of efficiency of such p-n junction by doping and defect suggests the design of suitable nanoelectronic devices in future. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.