Optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties of stable pentagonal B2S and B2Se monolayers

Boron-based 2D monolayers have attracted tremendous interest due to their unique physical and chemical properties. In this paper, we report novel pentagonal monolayers, B2S and B2Se, which are predicted to be energetically, dynamically, and thermally stable based on density functional theory. At the HSE06 level of theory, they exhibit a moderate indirect bandgap of (e.g., 1.82 eV for Penta-B2S and 1.94 eV for Penta-B2Se). Strain-induced indirect-to-direct bandgap transition, high hole mobility (~103 Cm2V-1S-1) and strong optical absorption (α ~105 Cm-1) in the visible region are observed for these monolayers. Moreover, the electronic band structures and optical spectra are tunable by mechanical strains suggesting their visible light-harvesting capabilities for optoelectronic applications. In this way, the pentagonal family of 2D materials is now expanded to include boron-containing photocatalytic materials for water splitting applications.