The electronic structure of van der Waals heterostructures formed by the nanoflakes of black phosphorene with those of graphene and haeckelites: their complexes with Li.

The electronic structure of the van der Waals heterostructures (HSs) of the phosphorene (P) nanoflakes (NFs) with graphene (G) and its allotropy (H1 and H2) NFs, and their complexes with Li have been studied using dispersion-corrected TPSS functional. According to the calculations, the attractive interactions in HSs come from dispersion. It has a relatively small contribution to the binding energy in Li complexes, especially for these forming complexes with G, H1, or H2 NF side. The binding energies between the individual NFs and Li atoms increase in the order G < H1 = H2 = P. The formation of HSs results in a synergetic effect for Li binding energies. This effect is the most notable for phosphorene binding sites; however, it also holds for G, H1, and H2 NFs. The formation of complexes with Li always leads to the almost complete charge transfer from Li to the NFs or HSs. In the case of HSs, the unpaired electron of Li is always located at the carbon NF side independently on the Li binding location. The activation energies of Li hopping for individual NFs are notably higher for P comparing with G, H1, or H2 NFs. The formation of HSs rises slightly the activation energies of Li hopping due to the increase of binding energies in Li-HS complexes. Graphical abstract.