| AVS 66th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| 2D Materials | Thursday Sessions |
| Session 2D+AS+BI+HC+MN+NS+PS+SS+TL-ThA |
| Session: | Surface Chemistry, Functionalization, Bio, Energy and Sensor Applications |
| Presenter: | Paul Brown, American Society for Engineering Education |
| Authors: | P. Brown, American Society for Engineering Education S. Fischer, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory J. Kołacz, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory C.M. Spillmann, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory D. Gunlycke, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Current means of redirecting light often rely on either bulky mechanical gimbals or non-mechanical diffractive elements. The former often suffer from wear and are susceptible to failure, while the latter may have significant optical power confined within side lobes. One promising non-mechanical approach that can overcome present limitations in beam redirection incorporates liquid crystal (LC) for continuous, refractive steering. Nematogens, the molecules comprising the LC in a nematic phase, support inherent anisotropic optical and dielectric properties that result from local ordering of single molecules. Recent research suggests the possibility of including two-dimensional materials to act as both an alignment layer and electrode to LC. This offers the possibility of further reducing device dimensions and device response time. Yet little research has focused on the ground state properties of a nematogen interfacing with the two-dimensional substrate. In this talk, we present density functional theory results of the electronic properties of a well-known nematogen (5CB) interacting with graphene, boron nitride, and phosphorene. We also discuss the influence of an introduced single vacancy on the electronic properties of the composite system. We find that 5CB on phosphorene offers the strongest binding of the considered nanosheets. Moreover, we observe qualitatively different band alignments, and focus in particular on type I, which prohibits free carrier transfer between the substrate and nematic LC. Lastly, we discuss the impact of single vacancies on the performance of two-dimensional materials to operate as both an alignment layer and electrode for LC-based applications.
This work has been supported by the Office of Naval Research, directly and through the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.